parents & youth sports

My nephew started playing football when he was six years old and he is currently playing for the San Clemente Tritons on a pop warner league. Ever since he started playing, my brothers have been really tough on the kid. They’re the typical sports guys whom don’t like losing and always want to win. It’s heart breaking to see my nephew get scolded over the little mistakes he made in a game and not praised for trying his best. I’ve seen him at his all time low when he wasn’t having fun anymore and wanted to quit. But my brothers didn’t give up on him and he has improved tremendously over the past few years. I thought of my nephew when we had discussions in class about parents who become too prideful in the sport rather than letting their kid play and have fun. I have been to a few of his games where the adults become outraged over a small dispute and trash talk to each other across the field. It makes the game awkward and ruins the fun for both the kids and the audience.
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with my brother about this trend seen in organized youth sports. From his observations, he noticed that teams in beach cities were not as good as the teams farther from beach cities. He concluded that families whom live in beach cities are those that have relaxed personalities and are more laid back with the children. He feels like these parents are not as tough on their kids on the field compared to the ones that are from the busy city. Teams from inland cities currently have better score records and are rougher on the field. Perhaps these are the children of parents in the working class that have built up anger from stressful jobs and live in a low income community. They release their anger in the sport and take it seriously for their gateway to be on top. These kids learn the behaviors from their parents and have no other choice than to make their them happy. Or my brother could just be bitter that his team isn’t having a good season and wants to find an excuse to blame it on something, hence he doesn't like losing. But he did bring up something interesting that caught my attention which involved the social trend in youth sports.


calmeroKIN332I

Opportunity for women

The ESPN body issue magazine that recently came out definitely seemed to turn some heads, especially mine. Seeing every muscle protrude through athlete's bodies struck me the most. However, women seemed to reveal a more seductive side than the male athletes. Some men were captured as playful and fun, and others were posing in an athletic stance that is familiar to them. Many of their poses had to do with the particular sport they played. A male speed skater was crouched over with one leg extended as if he were blowing past someone on a turn. On the flip side many women did not pose with relation to their sport. Hope Solo has become the newest "sex symbol" in the sport world and she posed holding a hose in her hand watering the grass. If many people were not familiar with women's soccer how would they know she is one of the best goalkeepers in the world? It seems female athletes are still struggling to be taken seriously. Sport has clearly been established as male dominant; however, when did society make it okay to not give equal prestige to male and female athletes?

Jenny Soza kin 332I

40 million dollar slaves

I have yet to finish reading "40 Million Dollar Slaves" by William C. Rhoden book I heard about a couple years ago. This book goes back to compare the playing field-team (Owner)-athlete to plantation-master-slave and the obvious difference is that athletes are paid big. These athletes are paid big to perform, but the moment they do not perform good, get hurt, get in trouble, or get old they are let go without giving the athlete any chance to adjust. I see the point Mr. Rhoden shares in his book, for instance, all athletes are under contract by the owner which means that these athletes are controlled by the owner. Athletes are restricted to do some of the things they want to do after or before playing because their contracts say so. Where is the "freedom" in an athlete? Also, these athletes are not taught how to invest their millions of dollars. Most of these athletes come from low income families. As soon as they start getting paid, they are spending their money on expensive cars, a certain percentage to their agents, alcohol, partying, fast women, expensive homes, and then give some money for their friends and families. Allen Iverson is a good example that was just let go and went from fame to shame. Now he has lost his house, plays in China, and has not money. Jamarcus Russell drafted number 1 by the Raiders a couple of years ago signed a big bonus that was guaranteed, showed up to camp overweight, complained, was lazy, and did not take his job serious. Now he has no job, just lost his house, and has been caught using illegal drugs.

Owners of all sports are billionaires and does not hurt their pocket to pay these athletes millions of dollars. They get about 10 times more than what they pay their athletes. You hardly see the owner at any of their games, they hardly deal with media, are not athletic, but are great businessmen/women. They use these athletes to get paid for their team, kind of how the masters used their slaves to work for them on their plantations. It is sad to see how media makes it seem that being an athlete is the best job to have when they sacrifice their bodies for these owners as these athletes are making the owner more wealthy.

Expansion of Footbal Conferences in College

Those of you who are fanatics in College Football (NCAAF) should probably be familiar with the change in different conferences. Many of the “big time” or “”well known” conferences are expanding by adding different amount of teams from the less competitive conferences in college football. Why has this trend been so popular over the past couple of years? It’s easy, college schools do it for the chance to be more recognized and influence their opportunity of having the chance to play for the “BCS title” at the end of the season. A school being involved in a highly competitive and skilled conference like maybe the Big 10 or Pac-10 (now Pac-12) have a better fan base and if the team is performing at a high level then that means their schools football ranking goes higher, which in return increases the chance of them to play in the title game. See, the problem with college football it’s their way of determining or their ranking of the top teams. College football doesn’t consist of a playoff bracket like many professional sports due. What does this cause? Any one team that has been consistently good through out the year but for some reason at some point lose just at least one game can really affect their chances of reaching the title and for that matter it ruins their chances of even being ranked in the top 25. JUST ONE GAME! Just imagine that, only one game can end a season of hope. Professional sports keep it more even and consist of playoff brackets that can give any team with a respectable record the chance to compete for the championship. Many people criticize the disadvantages that the way college football is set up because it doesn’t allow great teams to even be recognized even if they have an undefeated record, the matter that if a team comes from subpar conference with no recognition immediately influences their chances of competing against the top dogs. I myself I would love to see the change to a playoff bracket I think its more respectable and enjoyable, any one team has the same chance of winning and fight for the same reason. In other words teams have no other choice if they don’t see any change, if by switching to a better conference means being taken into consideration then switching conference is what they will do.

No media for Paralympics/Special Olympics

In our society, athletes that play basketball, baseball and football are always show on television but we hardly or never hear about athletes that compete in the Paralympics or the Special Olympics. They compete, work hard, love the sport but we never get any information from these athletes on television, newspaper, etc. Are these athletes being discriminated from our own country? I would wonder why runners from the Paralympics don’t have the opportunity to make Nike commercials or advertise their adaptive equipment. They are no different from any other person. In the U.S., television programs, such as ESPN, don’t provide live coverage of the Paralympic games nor on the Special Olympics but they are capable to having full footage of basketball games and Extreme Sports competition. I believe ESPN should show another perspective on sports and to inform people that sports like basketball could be played differently. There are many people in our society that has some form of disability and these individually have overcome many challenges in their lives. Those are the individuals that I believe should be role models for many young kids.

Michelle Gamboa Kin 332I

In A Small Town

A crowd full of people cheering for the one school and town that means the most to them. This team is not a professional team or a college team, this is small town high school team. It is not until you move out of this town and come back that you realize how awesome it is to grow up in a small town. Being apart of a small town is one of the best feelings in the world. Somewhere you can call your friend’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, and siblings by name. Now some would think that knowing everyone would be a bad thing but when you come back and people shout out your name and say hello when you walk in the gym, is one of the best feelings around. My little sister goes to Tehachapi High School and plays on the “Warrior” varsity volleyball team, playing with the same number jersey that I once wore when I was in high school. I did not realize the intensity of a small town crowd until I was part of the crowd as we all watched our high school take on our rival high school. Rivalries exist between many teams be it high school, college, or professional, but I believe that the best rivalries exist between a small town high school and their rival school. It feels as if every person from the town comes out to support the team and they all scream and cheer as if they were still in high school. I was completely blown away by the amount of pride that alumni and people from the town have towards their alma mater. Everyone in the crowd was on their feet cheering on the team the entire time which I think lead the team to their victory. In my small town they say, “Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior!” and going back to watch my old team play definitely proved this old saying to be true.

Stephanie J.

Kin 332i Sec 0767

alex gonzalez 332I

Sport is a male dominated organization. For many years women’s professional sports have been somewhat unsuccessful. For example no women sport organization makes the same or any where near the same amount of money that their male counterparts make. A new women’s football league has been named the fastest growing professional sport at this time. This current season is the third season of the new league. This league is the perfect example of two concepts we have covered in class. This league demonstrates how women are constantly undermined by the society as athletes. These women have to look a certain way in order to be in the league. Any woman too fat will not be allowed to participate. Although the athletes that play in the LFL (Lingerie Football League) perform at a very high level, and have their games aired on television nationwide. The money they make is no more than equal to a minimum wage job. Male athletes make millions of dollars playing the very same sport as the women, and they don’t even have to worry about their appearance. If our society was not so sexist the women would be viewed as athletes regardless of their appearance. These women train very hard to play and compete in their leagues just like the men do, and they should be viewed only as athletes.

Alex Gonzalez 332I t/th 1230-145

Women and sports

After reading for several weeks about the possible cancellation of the NBA season, I wanted to learn a little more about the history of basketball. My research began with learning that basketball was invented by James Naismith as an adaptation to be able to play a sport indoor during the winter season. As I continued reading, I realized I didn't know much history of women who played basketball. I had now became interested in learning a little more about the history of women playing basketball. Considering that I played basketball many years, I never realized how little I knew. In the 1890's the game of basketball was adapted by Senda Barenson. The game had been adapted by breaking it up into 3 sections and having 6 women play on the court at a time. The modification of rules for the game of basketball were made as an attempt to make the game for easier for women to play. Women had been stereotyped because of their gender. Men didn't want women to participate in sports. They believed women to weak, playing sports would damage their reproductive organs and would be classified to have manly features if they excelled in the sport. I think it's interesting to see how closed minded the men were, to find excuses to not allow women to participate in sports. The men only looked for excuses to keep their wives/daughters at home safe from harming themselves. Even though women may excel in sports today, we face the similar stereotypes. We now know that participating in sports will not hurt our reproductive organs but we can be labeled as a man because of our high level of skill. Society wants to keep women inferior to men by finding ways to limiting their level of achievement. Also as an attempt to insult men, others may tell men that they throw, kick, swing like a girl. This statement undermines the abilities of females to perform well in sports. Overall even though times have changed some ideologies remain the same.

Maritza L.
Kin 332i

Fighting In Hockey

The NHL has come a long way since the first Stanley cup in 1927. Hockey has had its highs, lows, stars and controversies just like any other sport. Recently hockey has come under-fire for too many fights. There are some people who think the fights in hockey are too violent. Some think that these fights are a bad influence on youth hockey players. And most of the rest think that it is an important aspect of the game. Without fights many of the older hockey players believe that the NHL would fail. Bobby Clarke, who was a legend on the Philadelphia Flyers, was asked how hockey would be without fighting. His response was "Could you imagine vodka without alcohol?”. Bobby Clarke comes from a time when hockey was struggling in his city. To get the crowds to come they had to fight. They fought enough the team was known as soon enough they became known as the “Broad Street Bullies”. A more recent story, well more of a rumor, was that the Anaheim Ducks were not allowed to fight. The reason behind this is because they were owned by Disney. Disney wanted the hockey games to be family-orientated and appropriate for all ages. The Ducks never won the Stanley Cup while being owned by Disney. A couple years after Disney sold the team however, The Ducks won the Stanley Cup.

The overall point these two examples bring up is that fighting is necessary for hockey. Hockey without fights would lose around half its fans. Many people watch hockey just for the fights, hits and violence which baseball and basketball horribly lack. Fighting is also a strategy for hockey, many teams hire “goons” to do nothing but fight and change the overall emotion of the game. Fighting will always be a part of hockey and the NHL will just hurt their organization if they ban fighting for good. As the old saying goes, “I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out”

Water Polo Gaining Popularity?

The United States men's water polo team is going to compete in the 2012 Pan Am games on October 23-29th in Guadalajara, Mexico. The tournament will be used as the qualifying match for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The North and South American countries will be competing in the tournament but aren't exactly seen as powerful competitors at the sport. In Europe the sport is much more popular and have powerhouse teams such as Hungary, Croatia, and Serbia. The Pan Am games should make it a little bit easier for the U.S. to qualify for the Olympics rather than competing against those European teams.
Before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing the U.S. team did not medal in water polo since 1988. Going into the 2008 Olympics the United States weren't expected to go far in water polo and were ranked pretty low, but the U.S. turned it around and pulled a major upset winning the silver medal in the final round against Hungary, one of the most dominant teams in the history of water polo.
Water polo has not been a very popular sport in the U.S. and isn't considered a mainstream sport, but with the U.S.'s success on the international level it will help. Kyle Rapoza says, "Water polo fans and players all want to see America accept water polo as a more mainstream sport but without television coverage it will be difficult for the sport to become increasingly popular." And I agree with Kyle. As we discussed in class sports can survive without the media, and water polo has. The game started in the late 1800’s and was known as aquatic football and it has definitely grown as a sport, and there are teams participating all over the world. Water polo is even the national sport in Hungary. But in America it wouldn’t gain the same popularity without the support of the media. Sports like football, basketball, baseball, and hockey are very popular with a lot of help from being televised, and headline coverage in newspapers and the internet. Even sports like mixed martial arts has become increasingly popular because of paperview fights and television shows about the next top fighter. Soccer has always been a huge sport and is the biggest sport around the world, but as it has been even more televised, its popularity has definitely increased. Water polo even has the qualities that Americans love to see, it is a very rough and aggressive contact sport and also carries that sense of masculinity as seen in today’s mainstream sports. Water polo could also gain great popularity through the media and its success internationally.

Joshua Beltran
KIN 332I T/TH 12:30-1:45

If you're familiar with Ameteur Baseball (High School or College)you have heard about the recent switch from BESR bats to BBCOR bats. BESR bats measure the speed of the ball after its been hit. The ball is not meant to surpass the speed of 97 MPH. When they are brand new they don't exceed that speed. Once these bats are broken in. They can go to speeds up to 120 MPH, which they are not suppose to, especially the composite barrel bats. In the beginning of the 2011 school year the NCAA and NFHS will ban all the composite bats. The rule for bats is that now all non wood bats will have to meet the Batted Coefficient of Restitution(BBCOR)standard. According to the NFHS, “the new standard ensures that performances by non-wood bats are more comparable to those of wood bats. It’s also expected to minimize risk, improve play and increase teaching opportunities”. With a lower speed after contact there will be fewer homeruns and high scoring games. Pretty much the composite bats were like bats on steroids. Like the Major Leagues who have banned steroids. They have seen their HR per season numbers drop. Instead of seeing the usual 60 plus HR's from Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds. You now see the 40 plus Hr's from Bautista. This new BBCOR rule will have the same effect in High School and College baseball. You're number 3, 4, & 5 hitters will see their production numbers go down. This will make the game a little less instresting unless you're a pitcher.

Erik Rocha
KIN332I.S3200

Thoughts on the LFL

The first time I heard about the Lingerie Football League (LFL) I thought it was just another gimmick to entertain men and boost program ratings. Not being a big sports fan, and never seeing a game, I just brushed it off as very feminine women prancing around the field with little skills in football. Again not being a big sports fan I paid no further notice until the subject came up in one of our classes and I happened to come across an article on Pulse, from Deadspin.com titled, The Lingerie Football League Hopes Michael Jackson’s Daughter Will Help Develop “Future LFL athletes”. My first reaction was, “Oh God, another publicity stunt”, but it suddenly sparked a curiosity in me to find out what was really going on here. So I did some research on the LFL and was surprised at what I found. First off it was obvious the women were good looking and very athletic, but some of my initial assumptions of the LFL were wrong. Not only were these girls mostly former athletes, but I was pleasantly surprised they were very tough and good at football. Now I know this may sound sexist but let me explain. I have never seen women play football before and I was never aware that there was such a desire to do so, so it was cool to see them play well. To speak on how tough these women were, well they wear fewer pads than the men do, and are hitting and taking each other down ferociously. I found the games entertaining, I’m not going to lie I’m a man and the women were beautiful, but more for the way they played football with such enjoyment and enthusiasm as serious athletes. They were picking fights and taunting each other, I got just as pumped up as I would watching the NFL. You could tell they were having a blast out there on the field just as anyone else would playing the sport they love. I do feel that this is still typical of our society and how it objectifies women. It was interesting to hear what some of the LFL players had to say though. Krystal Gray from the New York Majesty said, “We play because we really love football and this uniform just comes with the territory”, she also goes on to say, “We don’t think about the uniform...It’s such a fast game you don’t have time to think about what your wearing”. Marie Nicole also from the New York Majesty said, “We have been doing things for years that men say we can’t do, this is just the next thing”. What I gathered from this is that these women have a true passion to play football and that they are willing to look past or dismiss being objectified if it means they get to play the sport they love.
I truly don’t know how I feel about the LFL. I give the women credit that they are doing what they have to do to play football. Do they truly look past the uniform, or is it a matter of limited opportunity? There are several other leagues like the NWFA, IWFL and the WFA where women wear the standard football gear and uniform. I’m not sure what is more beneficial or provides the most opportunities. I hope the reason the women of the LFL play is because it’s their choice and not because it’s the better choice. It would be nice to eventually see a unified professional league of women’s football come together so that they can have all play with the same opportunities.
Jason Trapschuh Kin 332I sec. 3

Turning Point in Men's Basketball

The 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament is one of the most important turning points in Men's Basketball history. The significance of this particular tournament is not apparent until the Championship game, where the 3rd seeded Texas Western team faces the top ranked Kentucky team, led by one of the most successful college basketball coaches ever, Adolph Rupp. Don Haskins, the coach of Texas Western, decided to start 5 African American players for the championship game against the 5 white players of Kentucky. This had never been done before in a regular basketball game, moreless the National Championship game. This event appears to have set the gears in motion to begin desegregation in college basketball, and eventually the desegregation of all types of athletics. It took 65 years since the creation of the game before African Americans were considered equal on the court with white people. Unfortunately, society is not like the sporting world and it is going to take a great deal more time before we see events such as the 1966 Men’s Basketball Tournament take place in society and evoke changes just as this event did, but I think this was a good start.

Just as a side note, there is a movie about this particular event called “Glory Road” which does a good job as showing the struggles of African American basketball players in the 1966 society.)

Mike Sandoval
KIN 332I Section 3

Could this year's NBA season be cancelled?

If you haven't heard already, the NBA is currently in a lockout because the owners and players can't reach an agreement. What that really boils down to is they can't agree on money. As we've seen in the NCAA and the NFL, the teams are predominately owned by the mega-rich white males while the players who represent the team are mostly colored. The players who the fans associate with the team are the ones who really earn the money for the owners and they would like a fairer share of the money pie. Take Delonte West for example, he played with the Cavaliers and now with the Boston Celtics. He lived an extravagant lifestyle with his superstar teammates and never would have thought that dream come to a screeching halt. He picked up a job at a local furniture store moving and shipping furniture. It's not only the players who are on the losing end of the lockout, but the fans too. The longer the lockout lasts, the more NBA fans who will turn away from all the nonsense. So the only ones who can withstand the lockout are the team owners since they have such an absurd amount of money at reserve. What happened to just playing the game and enjoying basketball for the sport it is? I know basketball season has always been one of my favorite things to look forward to all year but the way it looks right now, the whole season may be cancelled. Sports today are longer about the game itself but how it can be sold. You can't attend a sports game without being constantly reminded of all the corporations that have money invested into the sport. We may not know what exactly goes on in the negociatations but we do know anytime you're dealing with millions of dollars, the solutions are anything but easy. Like the late Notorious B.I.G. said, "Mo money, mo problems."

Phirum Eng
KIN332I TuTh 12:30pm

murderball

After watching murderball I started to realize how luck I’m to still have a limb. At the same time, it was an eye opener for me. The idea of handicap male playing sport had never come to my mind until the video was presented in class. Although, I find it’s pretty interesting that there was not a time in the video when handicap women participation in sport was presented. I feel that women are underrepresented in the video. This video mainly focuses on men. Which, I feel our society is primary male dominate. Not only that in murderball most of the handicap men are able to get the opposite sex to be interested in them. I don’t know if it would be the same for handicap women. Murderball definitely have gender bias. It seems that it’s not just in regular sport that women are being underrepresented but also in the paralympic .


006955661
kin 332I. Section 3

Great news for my old swim team

There is a new high school being built in my neighborhood, and aside from the general inconveniences that come with construction, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. In March, the pool will be complete (so long as everything goes to plan) and will be open year round. This is great news because this would literally be the only public pool that is within walking distance in my neighborhood. I work with one of the swim coaches for the school, and the coach told me that they are looking forward to finally practice on campus and not having to travel to the local YMCA every day for workouts. Along with this perk, the students will be able to take basic swim courses for PE (something that I believe everybody should do at least once). Because the high school will have its own pool, the team will be able to have home swim meats and the athletes parents will be able to come and watch their kids swim without the need to travel to other schools. With its own pool, the school will also have the option of starting a men’s and women’s water polo team, something the school has been lacking for decades. All in all, I must admit that I am jealous that I will not be attending this school, but I am also excited to see what this new facility can bring to the community.

Kyle Atkins
Kin 332I Sec 3

Unlikely World Series

With the final out of Spring Training recorded in late March, 30 teams set their eyes on the season ahead. They all envisioned playing in October and winning the World Series. While all 30 teams believed that they were in fact going to win it all, we all sat back and made our own predictions on who was going to end up on top. The Red Sox looked to be the favorites coming out of the American League after adding Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in the off season. The Phillies looked scary in the National League as well with a pitching staff comprised of four potential aces which was rounded out by having one of the greatest pitchers in the game in Roy Halladay as the number one starter.
But if I were to tell you that in March that the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers were going to play each other in the World Series, you would think I was crazy. Not even I saw these two teams playing; I had the Tigers and Brewers which just goes to show what I know. These two teams have shown both baseball and the world that money alone will not buy a championship. In relationship to the other 28 teams in the league, the Cardinals have the 11th highest payroll at $105,433,572 and the Rangers at the 13th spot at $92,299,265 and yet they made it to the World Series. These two teams develop players well and do not overpay for high priced names in free agency. Most people can name about 6 or 7 Yankees but fail to name 3 or 4 Cardinals or Rangers. Teams need to look at this and realize that it is not about having the big name free agents taking up half of your payroll every year, but its about having a team made up of homegrown talent that works well together.
List of 2011 Opening Day Payrolls (bold teams made playoffs this year)

N.Y. Yankees 201,689,030
Philadelphia 172,976,381
Boston 161,407,476
Los Angeles Angels 138,998,524
Chicago White Sox 129,285,539
Chicago Cubs 125,480,664
New York Mets 120,147,310
San Francisco 118,216,333
Minnesota 112,737,000
Detroit 105,705,232
St. Louis 105,433,572
Los Angeles Dodgers 103,788,990
Texas 92,299,265
Colorado 87,998,071
Atlanta 87,003,192
Seattle 86,424,600
Milwaukee 85,497,333
Baltimore 85,304,038
Cincinnati 76,181,365
Houston 70,694,000
Oakland 66,536,500
Washington 63,681,929
Toronto 62,517,800
Florida 56,944,000
Arizona 53,639,833
Cleveland 49,188,867
Pittsburgh 46,047,000
San Diego 45,869,140
Tampa Bay 41,932,171
Kansas City 36,126,400

Josh Butler KIN 332I Sec 3

Steve Bartman

Although I've tweeted about him a few times, I still wanted to shine more light on the tragic story of Chicago Cubs fan Steven Bartman. (You can read the background story on wikipedia below). I stumbled across this story on 710 ESPN Radio. As usual, I was hoping for some NBA lockout good news on the traffic ride home but instead, I came across this baseball story (something I'd usually skip). My first thought was "holy crap, this fits in perfectly with what we just discussed and takes it to a whole-nother level!" First of all, there were several hands trying to catch the ball; Steve was just unlucky enough to put his hands on it. Secondly, the blame for the ball club's lack of success was put solely on his shoulders over some ridiculous superstitions. Thirdly, the governor publicly states that Chicago will not pardon him.. Are you freaking serious? Fourthly, he had to join a witness protection program and has been hiding ever since, declining every single public sponsorship and interview (even the ones that pay). One day, he's just your average, ordinary baseball fan and the next, he's already Chicago's second most hated person. I can understand the dissatisfaction of being a fan of a franchise that's constantly losing but that is just too much. You have to draw the line between being a loyal, die-hard fan and being a human with morals. He's not the reason the Cubs gave up 8 (yeah, EIGHT) runs in the next inning to lose the game 8-3,and evenually lose their 3-2 playoff lead. That's all them. Being a fan of the Chicago Cubs after so many losing seasons and missed chances must be hard, but shouldering the entire blame for your team's lack of success? That's unimaginable. Some say that people today don't care enough, I think they only care about the stupid things.


- Marshal Truong Kin 332I Sec 3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bartman_incident

Appreciate Your Limbs!

When the movie Murderball was shown in class, the only person that popped into my head was my uncle. I know I spoke a little about this in class, but this movie really reveal so much about how paraplegic and quadriplegic aren’t any different from those with functional limbs. During my uncles early 20s, he was involved in a car accident that injured his spleen that led to the removal of his spleen. For those that do not know the functions of a spleen, “it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood while also recycling iron. It metabolizes hemoglobin removed from senescent erythrocytes. It synthesizes antibodies and removes antibody-coated bacteria along with antibody-coated blood cells by way of blood and lymph node circulation” (Wikipedia). In other words, by removing his spleen, he was exposed to a “modest increase in circulating white blood cells and platelets, diminished responsiveness to some vaccines, and increased susceptibility to infection by bacteria and protozoa”(Wikipedia). Later in his early 30s, he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for about 2 month with the doctors not knowing why his limbs were losing circulation and turning a dark purple color. Once they realized that his limbs were not viable, my uncle had to make a decision to remove all four of his limbs. It was not easy for him to make that decision; my grandmother had to beg him to proceed with the procedure because if he didn’t, he would have died. In his perspective, he did not want to live life being cared for by others. He was depressed for about 4 years until he realized that there was not anything that can be done to change what had happened. My family and I would try to do things for him such as feed him, dress him, etc. He did not like that because it killed his pride as a man. He then was determined to do things for himself and finally committed to physical therapy. About a year later, he was fully capable of taking care of himself. Now when I visit, it sometimes catches me off guard on how he is able to do everything that I can do if not more. For instance, I am terrible and swimming; whereas my uncle, he is awesome at swimming. The movie really explained everything that was reality for my uncle as well as my family. I am glad that this movie was shown because seeing the surprised reactions in others in my class was a good eye opener. If only a movie like this is released in theatres, then the whole world can be exposed to things we as fully functional limbs take for granted.

S.Antonio Kin 332I Section 3

Team USA under Klinsmann

The US men's national soccer team has been buzzing for the last few months. On July 29th 2011 Jurgen Kilinsmann was named the new coach of the US mens team relieving previous coach Bob Bradley. Klinsmann previously led his native country of Germany to the semifinals of the 2006 world cup eventually taking third place in the tournament. He is a highly respected figure in the world of soccer or football. He won the world cup as a player for West Germany in 1990 and played for several top clubs in europe throughout the 90's. now as a coach he is tagged as the 'savior' of the US men's national team. his resume is pretty impressive but i feel like the media is blowing this thing up too soon. after playing 5 friendlies for the US team, klinsmann has 1 win, 1 tie, and 3 losses. These high expectations put alot of pressure on Klinsmann and can be problematic especially if positive results do not show. The only positives that have shown since the coaching change is a new style of play that has been seen during these international friendlies. They have shown flashes of brilliance and creativity when it comes to possession and creating chances but the problem has been the lack of capitalizing on those chances and scoring goals. throughout 5 games Klinsmann's squad has only produced 2 goals. the losses have all been 1 - 0 defeats so at least the americans are not blown out during these friendlies. On the other hand these games are friendlies so results are not the most important thing. with only 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses things are not looking as bright as many had hoped for but people must be patient and wait for the results from games that really count. World cup qualifying is Klinsmanns first big test so hopefully the media and fans don't criticize him until after those games are through.

Jerome de Leon
KIN332I TuTh 12:30pm

Remember the NBA?

Every time I walk into the REC center at Cal State Long Beach and see people shooting hoops on the basketball courts I can’t help but think back to the end of last year’s basketball season. There were some highs and some lows. My beloved Lakers crumbled in the Western Conference semifinals and, in the process, a few of the players made fools of themselves….*cough* Andrew and Lamar. After my tears dried though, I witnessed something that, at the time was much sweeter than another Lakers championship. This was the fall of the ever cocky, overly hyped and self-proclaimed King, Lebron James. Ah Yes, it was wonderful to see him fail when it came down to crunch time. His blank stare as the seconds ticked down at the end of game 6. He was probably thinking back to that little stunt he pulled with the other big 2 at the beginning of the season in Miami where they flaunted themselves in front of cameras and crowds to predict 8 championships in 8 years. Nope Nope. It was a team that everyone doubted that took it home last year. No player on the Mav’s had ever won an NBA title, and sure enough, led by that big James Bond villain of a look-a-like in Dirk they took down the Miami Heat. It saved Jason Terry's decision of getting the NBA trophy tattooed to his arm, and allowed for Mark Cuban to puff out his chest even more.
So now that we have no NBA season this year we can still use last year’s season as a point of reference. One that shows that hard work pays off and that you can’t believe all the hype. At the same time we can reflect on how selfish and egotistical some of these athletes have become. They feel privileged and even if the NBA teams are suffering they feel that they should still be paid astronomically high salaries. Finally, I have a quote that I’d like to see Lebron and a few others in the NBA apply to their routines if we ever do have an NBA season again. “Speak softly, and carry a big stick, you will go far.”- Theodore Roosevelt

Spencer Pirdy KIN 332IS

Cycling: The anti-American sport?

I'm somewhat of a cycling addict. I ride both mountain and road bikes and have done numerous centuries as well as participated in AIDS LifeCycle, 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles and is In all, I find that the cycling culture promotes a festive atmosphere in contrast to what is experienced around America’s sports sweethearts—football, basketball, and baseball—where “winning is the only thing” and the prevalent overtone is one of aggression, domination, and obliteration. An article in the October 2011 issue of Peloton magazine went so far to say that there is a . I tend to believe this.
I’ve been to a number of football and basketball games as well as cycling events such as the Tour de France and Tour of California, where I’ve encountered these opposing nuances first hand, and the energy of our famed. Where there is loathing for the opposing team and their fans in our beloved popular sports, appreciation and recognition of the effort put forth by individual riders and each team is valued and applauded by all at cycling venues. I, of course, supported Lance Armstrong in his quest to winning a 7th straight Tour de France; however, I rooted for whomever came in first during each stage. The effort of each cyclists is highly appreciated and recognized and, in turn, creates an atmosphere of collective camaraderie which one cannot help but rejoice in. This is beautiful, and the reason why I tend to avoid the violence associated with America’s sports sweethearts.

Kluane Robbins, KIN332I TTH 1230-145

Rewarding College Athletes

The issue of whether college athletes should be paid has been a continuous and never ending debate. Interested in this whole controversy, I researched both sides of this issue. People for this claim that since the players are the ones bringing in the revenue and the ones at risk of injury, they should be the ones getting paid. Coaches salaries increase year after year, yet the players are still the only party not to benefit financially. Also athletes from poor backgrounds cannot rely on families for money, so because of the demands of collegiate sports, there is no time for jobs. Paying athletes could also help steam the tide of players going pro early, and prevent the abuse of players taking money from boosters, and agents. A current example of abuse would be booster Nevin Shapiro from the U of Miami, giving in estimates in the millions benefits to athletes, including cash, prostitutes, trips, jewelry, etc. On the other hand people against this issue believe that only paying men's football and basketball (which would probably be the case) would be challenged in the court. Title IX suits would be filled because female athletes wouldn’t get similar funds. More money for female sports would consequently make other male sports suffer. Another big issue is where would the money come from? Only 14 programs at the big time schools (U of Texas, Ohio State, Norte Dame, etc) enjoy a revenue. So schools with more money would have a huge advantage for recruitment over smaller schools. Also deciding which athletes would be paid, or how much you would pay them are big questions that would have to be answered. Personally I believe that college athletes should not be paid. It is not fair to the millions of other students who go to school. Universities are institutions that will pave the way for us to get jobs. If athletes are paid in college, what motivation do they have to graduate? I agree that athletes spend lots of time practicing to represent their school, but they already receive a scholarship with a free education. Paying athletes would not stop the corrupt activity going on, because that will always exist regardless of the situation. If this issue was ever to become possible it would probably be the big football and basketball stars being the only ones paid. It's these superstars who more than likely are the ones being drafted professionally, where they would be paid in millions. Being paid will only open the gate for professionals in college, instead of working hard to become a professional. However this is only my opinion, and in the end will become the decision of the NCAA.

-Jessica Martinez KIN 332I TU/TH 12:30-1:45

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sportsmoney/2011/06/09/the-problems-with-paying-college-athletes/2/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904060604576572752351110850.html

Swim, bike, run

Triathlons are a great sport for everyone. They include swimming, cycling and running. There are several types of triathlons thats what make them so great. For example there are sprint triathlons, olympic triathlons, iron mans, and even reverse triathlons. The swim can be done in any body of water even pools. Triathlons can happen at any time in the year depending on the location.
Triathlons are also a great reason to take a vacation because they happen in many great places all over the country. My favorite race so far is the June Lake triathlon. This is an Olympic size triathlon which means it is a 1.5 kilometer swim, 40 kilometer bike ride, 10 kilometer run. This triathlon is small in number of participants, but I believe it is growing every year so register early! Another fun race is the Hermosa Beach Triathlon called Day at the Beach. This is a sprint triathlon that is known to be great for beginners. The swim is a quarter mile, the bike is 10 miles and the run is 3 miles. If those races sound to easy. You can work your way to a half iron man or full iron man.
Participating in triathlons is great because the sport itself represents three separate sports. This cause diversity in your training and will lead you away from overuse injuries. Swimming is an awesome exercise because it give your body a rest from the weight of the world. The downfall to having zero compression is the same as going up to space. You bones get used to the having no compression on them and become weaker. So good thing we are not swimming all the time. Your bones become stronger from bike riding and running.
The price of bikes can be considered a downfall of the sport. High end triathlon bikes can get very pricey ranging typically from $2000 to $ 8000. But do not worry, you can find many used bikes in great shape or bikes on sale. You also do not have to use a road or triathlon bike for races. You can use any type there is even a division for mountain bikes in many races. Running is great activity and cheap. The running portion of the race can even been completed with a jog or walk.
There are also many triathlon teams. They gladly accept new members. The teams can train together and do races with each other. Is it a great place for new triathletes to get questioned answered and make new friends. While training for long distance triathlons such as olympic distance, half iron mans and full iron mans. It is great to have a team to encourage you to complete long bike rides. Having a group to ocean swim with is very beneficial. It will help you feel more comfortable in the ocean and it is also safer if something detrimental to your health. If the team thing is not for you there is no shame in flying solo.

Brittany Hayden
Kin 332i sec 3

Men & Women in sport media

In regards to our discussion about the media of sport today in class, and how the majority of the time men are primarily the ones who not only are broadly mentioned but also seen in magazines, newspaper, television etc. rather than women. There has been a few incidents where I hear about young kids who have been scouted by schools, professional teams and even major club sports overseas. For example USC picked up a young boy who I believe is around the age of 13-15 who they are already beginning to train and work on his athletic skill to become a quarterback for the big football team, even offering him a full scholarship in order for him to stay. I also heard about a young boy who has been picked up by the one of the biggest Spanish soccer teams in Europe (FC Barcelona). He is about 11-13 years old and they claim that he has good skill. Of course this is amazing and in a way good for these young athletes but what I do not hear about are the women and little girls in these situations. For example the youngest player on the U.S national women’s soccer team is 22 years old and you don’t hear about young girls being scouted to play and train with these big teams.

Sports Hero: Wilma Rudolph

I found today's discussion in class pretty interesting and wanted to follow it up a bit more. As a class, we spoke about what kind of pictures were displayed in the magazines (or other media) we brought. We then discussed how the media wants us to portray it. Many of the magazines we looked at in our group were related to Sports Illustrated or Men's Health. In those magazines, men were clearly shown as the dominant gender and women played a small (if any role.) I never really thought about how much the media in sports favors male athletes until actually taking this class. It seems to me that not too many people really think twice about what is displayed everyday through media. Women need to be recognized a lot more for their success. It's sad to say that we live in a society that is so merely focused on male athletes. I found an article about a young African-American woman named Wilma Rudolph. This young woman was born with the disease of Polio and also suffered from Pneumonia. This led to a bad leg which she couldn't even walk on as a child. After a long process of seeking physical therapy and a ton of support from her large family, she somehow was able to walk without her brace at the age of 11. I found this extremely amazing because it was during the 1940's and this kind of care was by far more difficult comparing to today with technology and etc. A few years later she started getting involved in many different sports including track and field. Wilma, a young girl not healthy enough to even walk, turned into a strong Olypmic champion. She went on to set world records in multiple events and also brought home a few gold medals. I feel this is just one example of a female athlete that isn't really recognized for her achievements in and out of sports. Getting to walk again and to be healthy was her ultimate dream. With all the support she needed, talent, and a determined mindset as well as coach, she accomplished the impossible and never looked back. Women in sport should be acknowledged a lot more than they currently are. Instead of having women pose in a bathing suit in a sports or health magazine, why don't they "actually" show women training or competing in a sport as the men are shown. Wilma Rudolph faught her way through the hadships of disability and turned her life into a success story.

Sean H. Whitesitt
Kin. 332I

http://myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=wilmaRudolph

Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicapped

The film Murderball from class really made me aware of how great the human potential is to overcome adversity. If you were born with an impairment that's one thing because it's all you've ever known; but if you go from being an able-bodied individual to a paraplegic or quadraplegic then you have to overcome not only the physical challenges, but also the mental and emotional ones as well. In society today, I think we can be a bit ignornant to the abilities that those with disabilities have. And I know that sounds confusing, but I do not think we realize or give enough credit to those with disabilities, because they are able to do so much for themselves. Especially in sports. It is clear that the Paralympic Games do not receive as much broadcasting or advertisment as the Olympic Games, but why shouldn't they? Overcoming adversity is something we celebrate highly in our sports today. And while we value our Olympic athletes like Michael Phelps, Mia Hamm, Lindsey Vonn or Shaun White, sadly I don't think but one person out of ten could name a Paralympic athlete. If we had more people exposed to and educated about those impairments or disabilities I do not think we would have the prevalence of ignorance we have today as made evident by the film when one person thought the Paralympic Games were the same as the Special Olympics. Being in the class has also brought to my attention the levels of heirarchy we have in society, and how many people might look down on disabled individuals as incapable or inferior, when in fact while they may not be able-bodied it doesn't mean they are not able. There may be a point in time, perhaps in our near future, when those individuals with prosthetic limbs or man-made body parts far exceed even our best athletes. Will we recognize these athletes then? Will we give them the respect they deserve? Living without a limb or use of the legs, something that you or I cannot imagine, can only make an individual stronger, faster, better. I respect the disabled community and disabled athletes for the accomplishments that they have acheived. And this is not to say the fact that they can do stuff with a disability, it is to say that they, no doubt, far exceeded what I am capable of doing. So my question is, when will society accept and treat as equals, those with an impairment and/or disability, and stop treating these individuals as handicapped (inferior or "unable" due to disability)? Again, overcoming adversity, being tough (mentally, emotionally and physically), hardwork, perseverance, and an uplifting story, are all things that we value in our (able-bodied) athletes of today. Why can we not feel the same way towards those with a disability? Just because we can say we have more functional body parts than they do, does not make us better, and does not mean that we can look down on others, for the disabled persons community has the power to show us a true underdog story.
Danae Delfin
Kin 332i Sec 03

Race in Sport

Race in sports is a topic that I feel is overlooked in America. When you look at the history of sports in America you will more than likely see Caucasian or African American athletes excelling in sports. I believe that it is the cultural norm in our society to expect genetically gifted Caucasian or African American athletes to participate in sport because that’s the way it has always been. Being a Filipino-American and living in a society where you aren’t expected to stand out or do extremely well in sports is a harsh reality to deal with. I believe that athletes of different ethnic backgrounds are overlooked in professional sports. American culture is so used to witnessing these predominantly Caucasian and African-American athletes compete in sports. It has become the cultural norm in America to accept that Caucasian and African-American athletes are the cream of the crop when it comes to level of athleticism. It is almost as if they are expected to be natural born athletes that were made specifically to participate in sports. However, Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino boxer who is the only boxer in the world to have achieved eight world titles in eight different weight classes is an anomaly in our society. Here we have an athlete that traveled thousands of miles from the islands of the Philippines and through hard work and dedication has cemented his place in boxing history. Throughout his career he was never expected to be one of the pound for pound greatest boxers to ever live. The large population of Latino and African-American boxers that ruled the sport overshadowed him. But because of his recent success and fame many people are insinuating that he is taking performance enhancing drugs. When I hear accusations that discredit his achievements it makes me think about the cultural norm in America. If Manny Pacquiao were Caucasian or African-American would people be questioning his success? I honestly think that he would be celebrated as a national hero with no questions asked. The people that insinuate that he is on performance enhancing drugs aren’t used to seeing a small Filipino reach a level of greatness in American boxing. I bring this subject to surface because of the long anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Additional drug testing outside of the Nevada State Commission has been requested because Mayweather feels that Pacquiao is taking steroids. I believe that this perspective from Mayweather reveals an issue of race in sport and I believe that America’s perspective needs to change.

Ray Camba (KIN 332I Sec 10767)

http://fightfan.com/2011/09/enhanced-performance-the-natural-progression-of-manny-pacquiao-from-light-flyweight-to-welterweight/

NBA Lockout

We've all heard about the terrible terrible news about the first two week of the NBA season being cancelled. The lockout was already the worst news ever for NBA fans everywhere, but we never thought there would be cancellation of season games. As bad as the two weeks getting cancelled is, the NBA and its players are not out of the woods yet. There is talk about the season (in a best case scenario) being cut down to 50 games or, dare I say it, no 2011-2012 season at all. NBA commissioner David Stern reported, "We remain very, very apart on virtually all issues." Meaning that the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), lead by LA Laker Derek Fisher, and the NBA cannot reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. This lockout doesn't not affect just the players and the league, but it also has a great impact on fans, employees, and venues that host these games. Fans turn to these games as a way to release stress, meet new friends or a fellow fan, host parties, or to just sit back and enjoy the game with family. Not having a full NBA season, or no season at all will greatly affect the league, players, and most importantly the fans.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/228601/20111010/nba-lockout-2011-news-season-canceled-labor-talks-david-stern-lebron-james-dwayne-wade-carmelo-antho.htm

Chelsea Richardson

KIN 332I, Sec 03

Unfortunate Circumstances

After winning the MEA tournament, the Ugandan little league team was the first African team to advance to the world series taking place in the United States. The 12 to 13 year old boys who had dedicated their life to the game, displayed innate talent and promise to not only be a successful team, but to also affect change in Uganda. Because of this, Richard Stanley, the main instigator involved in introducing the sport to Uganda in 2003, spent thousands and thousands of dollars to provide appropriate gear, facilities, and travel for tournaments. Needless to say the boys, coaches and their many supporters were devastated after the state department announced they would not be able to travel. Due to discrepancies involving their travel Visas, the boys would be denied of this opportunity of a life time. Jay Shapiro, who had been filming a documentary of the team for the past two years, mentions that “Their country isn’t ready for this. The schools aren’t ready. The parents aren’t ready. The only thing that’s ready are the kids and their talent.” The article further describes how a lot of kids don’t even know how old they are or when their birthday is let alone have a birth certificate.

Despite the heartbreaking nature of the situation, their story has sparked the attention of people all over the world. Uganda and other third world countries alike don’t need us to feel sorry for them being underprivileged, they need us to help them bring hope. By teaching them how to handle documentation and about the importance of education and order, we can help them maneuver through adversity, and eventually prosper. We are so lucky to have so many resources that allow us to be involved in sports, travel, acquire gear, and compete at high levels.

Baseball In Uganda

ESPN

http://youtu.be/AuZB1c6K1-0

College Football Expenses

We are about half way through the semester and this class has already opened my eyes to so many interesting topics. Maybe the most interesting discussion that we had in class stemmed from a Title IX conversation. Professor Kauer gave the class some statistics about Division I college football and the amount of money universities spend just to field a team. One stat I remember was that out of 120 bowl eligible teams, only 14 of them actually generate enough revenue to make a profit. This is a mind blower considering that many of these schools have cut other men's sports teams just to field a football team. I also found it rediculous that they put the football team in a hotel every night before a game. After calculating the costs of putting 85 football players in a hotel for about 13 games, the university would almost be able to fund a different sport. It seems that when it comes to college football, everything comes second.

Opportunities Wasted

“Over-privileged” is a word that Tim Wise said does not exist in our English language but under-privileged is. Why is this? Coming from a predominately white community where only a hand full of colored people attended my high school, I can clearly see what Mr. Wise is saying. Although most kids in my town go to college and take advantage of their parent’s wealth, there is always the percentage of kids who waste everything that is put in front of them. They are ungrateful for the material items they have and are blind to the infinite amount of opportunities given to them. Instead of being productive with the money that magically appears in their bank account every week, they chose to go down the wrong path of addiction and substance abuse. It is sad to see things like this develop because I realize that there are people in our country that would kill to be raised in a society similar to the one I was raised in. Because under-privileged people must work harder for opportunities even close to the ones I was presented, I have a new found respect for them. Hopefully we can spread of the amount of opportunities to inner cities or ones who are unable to get the same treatment as the “over-privileged”

Chad Schug
Kin 338I Sec 06 10771