Ending Remarks

This semester has been interesting, I've got to say I've learned a variety of things, and although I'm not as pleased with the outcomes as I'd like to be, the semester is finally coming to a close. From sports ethics, to the Cold War, to the advances in technology leading to an improvement in physical activity. KIN 347 has overall connected concepts from other classes such as motor learning, child, adolescent and adult health, and even some history that I didn't know about. It's interesting to have an open mind about these kinds of ideas because there are a ton of different point of views to possibly see. Drug testing, if you were an athlete and had a chance to take a drug that would let you beat any of your opponents and you knew you wouldn't be caught, would you still do it? It's almost like cheating on an exam. If you were able to text while taking the exam and cheat knowing you wouldn't be caught, would you still do it? Even though some people have standards set in their mind, a lot of people wouldn't hesitate to cross it because they want to do anything to win. It's crazy how competitive events are in modern times. Dr. Todd told us that when she was a powerlifter she didn't have to worry about taking steroids because it was purely for recreational fun. However, now a days, these are people's careers, where they are pressured by coaches and other athletes to do steroids or take pills so they can outperform the other team. How will it be in the future? Technology advances are being made every single day, I'm sure as I write this blog, there is research being done to promote better endurance in athletes and what not. It sucks when geneticists try to find a cure for muscular dystrophy, and researchers just take that work and apply it to athletes to see if they can perform better. Isn't saving lives the best kind of research? Rather than intentionally ruining someone's life by simply taking drugs to do good in one event? It doesn't make sense to me, but I guess I don't have the mindset of an athlete because it's been said they would do anything to win, and they wouldn't stop at anything because they are so competitive. How can we prevent the corruption of using good research for evil? I guess it's just inevitable.

Intercollegiate Athletics

It looks like Pro Football, they almost play like pros, and they train as much as the pros. But it's just amateur football so that's why they don't get paid. College football these days is on a much higher level than ever before. Practices are grueling, workouts are tough, and there is a lot more at stake when it comes down to it. National Football Championships such as the Rose Bowl creates so much revenue for schools and college gear is also sold which boosts the whole industry. It's amazing to think that the players are putting in so much work and yet they get shafted in the end because even after they sacrifice so much of their own time, they could possibly end up in the gutter if the coach decides that player is no longer needed. In my opinion, I think college athletes should be paid. Their schoolwork suffers because the loss of time to study, and so much money goes to that department but it goes directly to only a certain number of people such as the coaches, and nothing is left for the players who are doing the brute of the work. Talk about about being unfair. Schools make money off selling the player’s image either in jersey sales, videos or posters, and yet the player gets no part of the revenue made from his name. Although some may argue that scholarships should be enough because they are getting a free education, but how free is it really? If they have to put in so much time and effort for the team the play on. I also believe that less college football players would leave early to try to turn pro if they were paid. We see every year a handful of college football players turn pro early and not make the team. Then they are out of college and their careers are over as athletes. Maybe one more year of college would have prepared them better for the NFL and or a career after football.

 

As you can see, there is a sea of burnt orange. Fans are die hard when it comes to UT football, and this is just a little reminder of how much revenue is made from them. Everything is about money nowadays, and after

the most turbulent off season in college football history, all it came down to was money. Nebraska left the Big 12 for the Big Ten Network because of money. Texas stayed in the Big 12 because of money. So what can we do to change this kind of tactic and make sure the money is spread more evenly? We need CHANGE, because if not it'll only make the rich, richer, and the poor even more poor. How corrupt is that kind of society?

That Looks Like It Hurt...

Sports can be really damaging to the body, with or without equipment to help soften the blow. As seen in the above picture, the football hit is so hard that it knocked off the players helmet and crushed his face into #26's shoulder. It's amazing how many times football athletes endure these kinds of hits, during practice, games it's almost a non-stop continuum of injuries to the brain. Below has a scale of G-max, which basically rates how much force is being absorbed in the body rather than the field. To measure it, an object that approximates a human head and neck (about 20 sq. in. and 20 pounds) is dropped from a height of 2 ft.As you can see, it's a lot to endure. Apparently, concussions are frequent on the field, and sometimes  players even black out in the game yet they seem fine. Is it really worth destroying your body and your intelligence for a sport?

 

Spectators have it easy, we can sit back in our comfortable couches and watch these football games and boxing matches. However, these athletes are in it for the money and they are getting destroyed slowly with each and every hit they take. Can we really blame them if this is the only thing that they are allowed to do? Maybe they weren't able to attend college and going to the boxing arena and matches were the fastest way to make money and support their family. Athletics really is a hard thing to be a part of especially while you're in college because classes are difficult to keep up with since they always have to travel for games, or leave early because they can't be late for practice. It's basically a full-time job, and more times than not they grades will take the blow for it. Instead of focusing on school it's easier to focus on the sport and hopefully it will pave the way for professional sports. But how often does that opportunity come to others? If you sustain an injury, your career is basically over and you're going to have to start from the bottom and work your way up again. I guess this is why it's an extremely sensitive topic. But we need to find a way to protect our athletes both on and off the field because if something goes wrong on the field, they are basically screwed even if they put in years and years of training off the field. It's truly a sad note, but changes need to be made, and hopefully they will be soon.

Hilter's Cold Shoulder

Our class is called "Historical & Ethical Issues in Physical Culture & Sport," and we've learned a lot about the history of sport and how far equipment has come to support those who want to keep their body in good shape and be healthy. However, before this semester I was never able to discern how greatly sport can affect political issues. First off, let me just say after reading the article by Thomas Hunt, the IOC as well as the USOC were out of their minds and really disorganized when it came down to the wire. The disqualification of Rick DeMont was heartbreaking because it shouldn't have happened in the first place only if the USOC was on top of things. The athlete did everything right and yet he still got disqualified. Even if the these International Olympic Committees were newly created, they should do everything in their power to make sure their nation's athletes are following all of the protocols. But it just goes back to how things are corrupt, researchers are created all of these new kinds of drugs and athletes are being forced to take them with no say in the matter. I guess in the nation's mind, a little goes a long way, and what I mean by that is- If countries are able to claim international prestige by winning the majority of gold medals at the Olympic Games than they would be seen as the more powerful nation politically. So by using sport and the manufacturing the best athletes, it would be a sacrifice in the name of becoming a more powerful nation. I guess during these times it really didn't matter if people were being sacrificed because the world saw how millions of Jewish people were killed by Nazis.

 Personally, I think it's amazing how far technology has come to test DNA for illegal substances. Either in forensics where it can really help catch a murderer or the fact that a lot of athletes that were drug tested and passed, however, years later it was shown that they actually failed but because the technology then didn't allow that specimen to be flagged. It's crazy how far athletes can extend their reach to stay ahead of the detection methods. In my opinion, I don't want to compete with the burden on my shoulders knowing that I wasn't able to accomplish it on my own without the help of drugs. But it seems as if all other athletes don't have that kind of mindset, they live by the "in it to win it" ideology.

Nike: "Just Do It"

Honestly, I didn't realize all the bad media Michael Jordan has gotten. After reading the articles written by Douglass Kellner and Joseph Dorinson, it opened my eyes to a whole new world as to how much Michael Jordan is really lacking. Compared to the famous boxer Mohammad Ali and the all-around best athlete Jackie Robinson, Michael Jordan doesn't even hold a light compared to them. In the past when there was a whole lot more racism, Jackie Robinson and all the other athletes of the time paved the way for the present and the future. Michael Jordan had it easy because he was able to sign with Nike and that made him a huge deal thanks to advertising. However, how come when Michael Jackson is in the spotlight he isn't able to stand up for what is right? Instead he just says "no comment" and turns away. The big controversy here is because of Nike and how they are continuously trying to find ways to have cheaper labor. Moving all over Asia in countries like China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and South Korea. All of these factories mainly have women workers who get paid next to nothing. ~$1.20, and although the pay varies, it all is the same compared to the billions of dollars that Nike makes off of their terrible conditions. I wish I could say that I was different and labels didn't matter to me, but honestly they do. I feel like buying a Nike brand has better quality than other lower end brands. Does that mean I'm classified as one of those consumers who was sucked into the ads and campaigns? You betcha. And I'm sure everyone in my generation and younger feel the same.

Does Racism Still Exist?

When the topic of racism is brought up today, I immediately think of slavery because that's the most common form of racism. Just by looking at a man's skin color, one would be able to see what class they were in. Even though slavery was abolished in 1865, almost 150 years ago, racism still occurs. It's sad but it's true. Stacking in sports contributes to this because some races have perform better in certain positions than others. For example, quarterbacks are mainly Caucasians, whereas African-Americans play the positions such as running back, wide receiver, etc. One would ask why is that? It's because of the speed and athleticism that African-Americans possess which allows them to excel in their sport. Track athletes are also predominately African-American, Usain Bolt is currently the holder of both the world record and the Olympic record holder for sprinting in the 100m and 200m dash, destroying anyone in his heat.

As we have seen previously, people were surprised that Peter Norman, a white sprinter had as much agility as an African-American. It seems as though a race needs to predominate in any sport, if there is a majority than the sport belongs to their "people." Blacks are athletes in mainly football, basketball, and track, whites are mostly in baseball, hockey and golf. Sadly, even though people wanted to end racism, I don't think we will be able to because of the classifications that have already been put into place. People judge the first thing we see, and that's the skin color of a person, then they formulate how things will go. However, will we be able to change that? Probably not, but in my opinion I feel that we can change the thoughts that go along with the images we see. For example, instead of associating words like thug, robber, gangster, etc. with a black person they can think of how athletic they are and how smart they are. Racism has gone on for far too long in my opinion, but no one knows when it will end. People can't help what classification they are in, but they shouldn't feed into the stereotype that's already been created.

Inspiration

As a former tennis player, I understand what it's like to be the underdog. I know it's not to the extent of some other athletes who have been under so much pressure during their time, but I have a little bit of understanding. Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, and Jesse Owens all black athletes who were powerful in their time and did the best their body could at their sport. And yet, people didn't even acknowledge their exsistence unless they brought home a win. And even if they did, some people still didn't give them the recognition they deserved.
Jackie Robinson was an amazing athlete, excelling in every single sport that he played while at the University of California in Los Angeles. While slowly moving his way to the top in baseball, he experienced a lot of prejudice. But he endured. He eventually made his way to the big leagues playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers and he knew all was the inspiration for all blacks during that time.
Its amazing how much they experienced and yet they still endured, they knew they were in the spotlight and that if they were fighting against a white male they were expected to lose. But they didn't they just held their head high. It just goes to show that everyone has obstacles they have to go through, and if you just keep at it its worthwhile and I know I should keep trying no matter who is trying to bring me down.

Empowerment

Just looking at the photo of Peter Norman, Tommie Smith and John Carlos can empower anyone. I honestly believe that because of people like them that made the U.S. the way it is now. And honestly everyone in my generation and after should be thanking them for doing what they did. The black power salute symbolized basically everything that was being ignored at that time. All of the student riots (that ended in death) that were going on in Mexico, the racism in America and Australia as well. Everyone was experiencing it but there was no one willing to come forth and confront the issue head on like these guys did. It's amazing how much they put themselves at risk to even more discrimination and it really makes me wish I could be more like that.

It really touched me how Peter Norman was such a devoted Australian. If I came back to my nation and I was shunned the way he was I would have been livid. Peter deserved to be a track athlete in the 1972 Olympic Games but they simply said no and Peter just believed that it wasn't meant to be. It's amazing how such a kind person could be turned away like that for just standing there while Tommie Smith and John Carlos were doing the black salute. But as they believe, everything was meant to be just that way because Peter knew what they were doing and he completely supported them. It's amazing the courage that all of them had, and how they were able to live through everything afterward. I honestly believe it's people like them that made it possible for stronger integration of our nation and it wouldn't have happened without the help of them.

Female and Sport

As a female, I'd like to think that I am able to empathize with strong female athletes. When women athletes are in the spotlight, I feel like they are never taken seriously. They are always viewed as less worthy than their male counterparts. Take Danica Patrick for example. She is the most famous woman in Nascar to date, and yet she is demoralized in the media with the photos that she takes.She's not the only one, there are documentaries that also recognize this phenomenon and they question why the athlete does this to herself?

 "Killing Us Softly" by Jean Kilbourne shows all the depictions of women and how those images fuel all the bad things in adolescents such as eating disorders. People see images all the time due to advertisements on the web, on billboards, and on television. And each and every image, women are demoralized and their image. I feel like this is all because of men. They control the mass majority of industries and therefore are allowed to put their opinions into play. Men are constantly judging women, their looks and body types. And this causes women to be even more critical of themselves and of other women because they want to make sure they are up to par with what the opposite sex wants.

Women who are famous in sport should be able to express themselves, but to be able to gain attention in the mass media they have to be sexually appealing and they model themselves that way. What does this do to our generation and those after us?
In discussion, Scott talked about Caster Semenya and how she had to undergo gender testing. Is this right? In my opinion I feel like it wasn't and I'm sure it psychologically affected her when she was told that people didn't believe she was a female. Just because she looks different compared to our views of what a women looks like doesn't mean she should be questioned publicly based on the fact that she runs a lot faster than other track athletes. Of course this is an ethics class and the decisions on these things are questionable, but how far are we going to go to make sure that Caster deserved to compete with female athletes. For Heaven's sake she was 17 years old and she had to be poked and prodded to make sure she could compete.  I just don't think that's right.

This Is Why You're Fat

Americans LOVE food, I know I do! I've never seen the movie Supersize Me before, but I was pretty astonished at how people chose to sue McDonald's and other various fast food restaurants based on their lack of understanding. People make choices, but they chose to make bad ones in which it leads to obesity and other diseases such as diabetes. We all have a responsibility to take care of ourselves, our own bodies. If you want to eat a Big Mac and stuff your body full of 560 calories, along with a side order of large fries which is another 540 calories than that's your prerogative. People aren't going to tell you "No, you shouldn't eat that!" When you're in the line to order. On average people are supposed to consume approximately 2000 calories a day. You're getting more than half of that in one meal from McDonald's. It's no wonder that our country has become obese.

(Hamburger, ground veal, sausage, egg, breadcrumbs, random spices all mixed together rolled around a 1/4 lb hotdog, bacon, sauerkraut, 3 types of cheese, and banana peppers.  Topped with ketchup, mustard, more peppers, and chili all on a hoagie roll.)There is from an interesting website with crazy food that people make up on their own and they post pictures of it. Here are some examples of some... and it's surprising how much fat, grease, and just junk that they eat all together in one meal. I'm sure this would beat out a McDonald's burger in a second if calories were counted.  You can go ahead and check out the craziness yourself at this website: This Is Why You're Fat
Baker Harrell gave me a startling revolution when he came to class. I would always look around me and wonder how America is obese, but we really are in our own little bubble when it comes to obesity. We still like to exercise and participate in sports and we aren't really interacting much with people suffering from obesity. We just learn about it in our Kinesiology courses. Has obesity really become the norm? I guess so, according to the research done. But how can we change this? My generation, our generation, has been predicted to be the first generation with a shorter lifespan than the generation before us. That's a startling piece of information to digest. What can we do to prevent this? And how can we make sure that our children will not be affected by this as well?

History of Sport and Some of the University of Texas

It's amazing to see the history of sport and how much it has changed within the world as well as our university. Yeah, we can always see the technological advances and how we can always get an upgrade in cameras and laptops but we never really stop to appreciate how our lives are much easier than those who were here before us. At the University of Texas we have a great campus full of different gymnasiums and it was interesting to learn how times were so different. When I think of Anna Hiss Gym, I think of this place.

I would come here to play volleyball or dodgeball, and I always wondered why it was always so cramped with barely any room on the side. It never occurred to me that that was how this gym was created. Anna Hiss was a Director of Physical Training during 1921-1956. Times were totally different to how they are now. There used to be a pool, and this was a women's facility. The lack of space was because there wasn't supposed to be male spectators watching women workout because that was considered improper. 

Gregory Gym was the male gymnasium on campus. And this complex was much larger than Anna Hiss Gym. There were stadiums set up, and I guess it was all due to the fact that males were allowed to have spectators, and there were also a lot more participants doing informal recreation. Nowadays, we women and men are allowed to be here to participate in any kind of activity. There are outdoor pools, and weight rooms, as well as a barrage of other things. It's crazy to think that America is obese because we have such nice amenities yet people do not take advantage of it.

Let's PLAY...

It's interesting how sport can be broken down into a list of different types. I guess I never really thought of it too deeply, but once you do you can really see how there really is. Guttmann even has everything broken down into specifics.

The image above is from Guttman's Ritual to Record. In my mind, I always thought games were competitive, with one winner. There were never any ties and there were always rules set into place to ensure that there was one outcome with one winner. However looking back there are these times when there was "spontaneous play" involved. Such as when I went to play tennis, I would just call up a friend and say "Let's go hit." And we would. There weren't trophies for the winner, we would just rally and play a couple of points out. Spontaneous play could easily turn into competitive games through bets, where the loser would have to pay for Dairy Queen, or something like that.
I like the idea that competitive games can be physical or intellectual. Such as chess competitions, although they only have to lift their hands to move their chess pieces, it can be a really grueling time because most of their energy is put into strategy and what best way they can go about defeating their opponent. Physical contests are where it all depends on endurance and strength. There is always going to be a bigger and stronger opponent, but they also have to incorporate strategy into the game or else they won't be able to use their power to their advantage.

There are seven characteristics that Guttmann speaks of and they are:
(i.) Secularism: which states that sports needs to have an absence of religion. This can be either a good thing because instead of honoring God, one would be honoring the player and his or her abilities.
(ii.) Equality of opportunity to compete and in the conditions of competition: There are three different types:
a- Equal Access: no matter where you are, one would be able to have access to that sport.
b- Equal Benefits: since everyone is able to play, then everyone should be considered equal.
c- Equal Competition: there is a level playing field in every sport, no one is favored over another.
Overall, in this category women and minorities are cut short most of the time.
(iii.) Specialization of roles: this allows players to focus on their area of expertise. This also allows for more people to be involved in sport because not everyone is trying to be the best at every single position. I.e. in football, the quarterback is not also the receiver. Their is a different person playing that position.
(iv.) Rationalization: consistency, practices and training allows for players to do their best in their given field. This allows for prevention in injury and also makes sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing.
(v.) Bureaucratic organization: these are big governing bodies that govern sport.
(vi.) Quantification: allows for coaches, players, and teams to know who is the best out their at any given time.
(vii.) The quest for records: records allow for everyone to compare eras, and how well a player/team is doing. A progression of sorts, whether or not a team is doing well and is up to par or not. To be able to have records will allow for a team to build on what they have been taught if they can do better.

Anabolic Steroids: Got Small Balls?

The movie we watched today in class over anabolic steroids was interesting in all the findings they included. Such as 85% of steroid users mainly use for informal recreation and cosmetics rather than the 15% of athletes who use. I thought it would have been the opposite because of all the media that places places athletes in the spotlight and make a huge ordeal out of their steroid use. Barry Bonds, sets the record for home runs at 73 and it is pretty evident in his body structure when compared to other baseball players that he would be taking something other than the normal supplements. 

It's really sad how our nation looks up to drug users. The Bell brothers grew up loving Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stalone and Arnold Schwarzenegger and although they were young and naive they were amazed at how strong and powerful they were. Captain America and other various comic characters are becoming more and more in shape. And it seems as if the mass media encourages for people to be "fit"and that it's the "norm" to have a six pack by endorsing advertisements for crap products such as Hydroxycut and other various substances. 

The movie talked about what the new goal is for athletics, which is gene doping or genetic alteration to allow people to become faster and stronger. There have been a couple of images here and there in the media where they showed the effects of altering the genes in rats, such as the one seen in class. The movie also talked about how the cow was born with a genetic defect that made it grow with only pure muscle. In human form, we have a kid known as "Little Hercules" who was able to begin training at age TWO!!

It's actually scary how people are willing to go as far as changing their genes solely for career gains. There is bound to be some kind of repercussion for changing the way people are born naturally. In discussion, Scott asked whether or not its okay to choose the gene traits we give to our children. And that genetic research must be done so that genetic diseases can be prevented while the baby is still in the womb. This all makes sense to me, but I know that there are always going to have set rules that are going to be broken and that the next person will always try to push limits. They say that they are going to be able to prevent muscle dystrophy, but then they will just take the research that has already been accomplished and tweak it just a little to allow for more muscle growth. All in all, the whole idea of genetic alteration is scary, but in order to prevent people a lifetime of pain there must be research done to prevent it, and I guess it's just inevitable that people will use that power for their gain.

Ergogenic Aids

First off, I just wanted to say that I was really surprised to find out that Dr. Todd was into lifting weights and was in the Guinness Book of World Records. I just think that's pretty awesome because she was just doing what she loved! But anyways... Ergogenic Aids. Some people are really crazy to eat/inhale/inject all different kinds of things just so they can have better endurance or strength. Honestly, is it really worth cutting your lifespan short just so you can excel in a sport? I guess I can't really say I understand an athlete's point of view because that is their life, and what they do as a living so it must mean a lot more to them and obviously they would do anything to excel. In my opinion, each and every year, there is always going to be a new person who emerges in that sport becomes the new all-star. Granted they aren't going to be as experienced as someone who is older, but they will obviously learn from going to more competitions. I would understand how one would feel threatened when competing and they expect to win gold medals, but instead they end up losing to someone who is a couple of years their junior.

On the other hand, there are parents who are so desperate to live their life through their children that they lie and force them to take steroids. I remember watching an episode of Dr.Phil and it turned out that a father went as far as injecting his 13 year old son with steroids when he was competing in in-line skating. The full story can be found here. Already, one can see that that father doesn't have any morals to go as far as lying to his own son and inject him with "vitamins." As a child, you believe that you can do anything if you only put your mind to it. I have no idea what psychological issues that his son went through after getting disqualified from the event and also kicked off of his team when his goal in life was to become a speed skater.

It's also interesting to learn of how the U.S. government harvested people's pituitary gland from autopsies so that they could get Human Growth Hormones. The case where the girl was allowed to take HGH until she reached 5 feet, I think that it's a little unfair for her to be competing in cycling. Even though she took it so she wouldn't be short, she already has an unfair advantage over other at the age of 16. This isn't even an age where events are that serious about competition. Overall, I think many lines are going to be crossed when you allow people to take HGH, but what about those who are less fortunate? Are they going to have to suffer the consequences of the hand that's dealt to them when they are born or do we help them live a more "normal" life?

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. [Matthew 7:12]"

Dr. Todd brought up the Golden Rule, in which it states that one should "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." After stating this, she asked the class if anyone made decisions based off of this thinking. And I thought to myself that I do, but only sometimes, not always. During class I remember feeling distraught after hearing of the Tuskegee Experiment that occurred from 1932 to 1972. I know for sure that the scientists that participated in this research study did not think of the Golden Rule and how they would have felt if they were in these African-American male's shoes. It boggles my mind that people feel like they are than others merely because of the color of their skin. Just because you are white means that you are entitled to property, and you are able to do whatever you want, how unfair is that? Everyone is born with the same entitlement and the should be treated equally, but I suppose this is how our nation has finally been able to adopt to our morals that we have today. Granted, racism still exists even today, I bet it is no where near as terrible as the early 1900's.
After reading documents about the Tuskegee Experiments I really wonder how in the world this experiment went on for so long without the men being given cures, and after watching the men give the disease to their wife and children, making them suffer as well. This was all in the name of science? I don't think so. I believe it was all a ploy to be able to use science to once again dominant a lower class, since most of the scientists were white. I'm sure they knew the effects they were causing and yet they didn't cease the experiment.
President Clinton ended up delivering a speech in 1997 that said (http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/jul/tuskegee/):

"To the survivors, to the wives and family members, the children and the grandchildren, I say what you know: No power on Earth can give you back the lives lost, the pain suffered, the years of internal torment and anguish.

"What was done cannot be undone. But we can end the silence. We can stop turning our heads away. We can look at you in the eye and finally say, on behalf of the American people: what the United States government did was shameful.

"And I am sorry."

This experiment which degraded human beings into test subjects equivalent to animals ended in the year 1972, why did it take more than 20 years to give a formal apology? Throughout the experiment, people should have known they were wrong, and after the experiment they should have known they were wrong, and also by not giving the test subjects who were still alive, they should have felt ashamed by not being able to save a person's life. Aren't researchers supposed to be searching for a cure? Why did they infect these innocent people with what was then an incurable disease, and then find the cure, and ultimately not give it to them. They just sentenced all of them to death as well as all of their loved ones. I just hope we all learn how much another person's life is worth, and how we wouldn't want to be put in that situation.