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.