Social Media and Sport

In the October 25, 2018 class, we discussed the topic of sports and media. During this lecture, we asked if the two could survive without the other. As we know, both industries generate millions and millions of viewers and they are very closely linked. Today, media is used to:

• engage fans, empower brands/athletes
• be a source for news
• activate and leverage brands
• create social identities that could help them gain support for future business ventures

As previously mentioned, social media and sport are closely linked. Today, we see various people, groups, teams, etc use social media for multiple purposes. For example, Giants Wide Receiver, Odell Beckham Jr uses social media in order to promote and build a brand for himself, that way he can reach people all over the world and market himself globally. Teams use media in order to find ways to brand themselves and try to satisfy all of the fans. Leagues such as the NBA have taken full advantage of the rise of social media. The NBA has been considered a sport bar that doesn't close as it gives fans the access to discuss their favorite teams with people all over the world with the chance of their favorite athlete to reply back to them. The league has also used this to push for younger fans since they are more tech-savvy than the older generation. You can read more about this if you click on this link :(https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2018/05/31/nba-twitter-a-sports-bar-that-doesnt-close-where-the-stars-pull-up-a-seat-next-to-you/?utm_term=.457cc8eea74f),

Other sources: https://www.pilotfishmedia.com/2018/08/30/the-role-of-social-media-in-sports-today/

Gender and Sports

In the November 15, 2018 class, we discussed gender and sports, specifically women in sports. There is no denying that men's sports are more discussed, watched, and covered than their women counterpart. Women have been misrepresented dating back centuries, as well as men in terms of their roles in society. This is largely due to the topics we discussed in class including:

• Sex-Role Stereotyping
• Agencies of Sex-Role Stereotyping 
• Participation and Equity Issues

While we are the ones at fault for this, we can't help that we learned this from a young age. Since we were born we have been taught how our gender behaves and vise-versa. In particular, this is covered in the topic area of the agencies of sex-role stereotyping.

• Agencies of Sex-Role Stereotyping
• Family
• boy or girl
• parents direct behavior towards masculine and feminine activities (i.e. toys, clothing color, activities)
• children develop gender-typed patterns of behavior as early as 15-36 months
• School
• reinforces differential expectations
• steers boys/girls to different activities
• perceptions of what men and women are good at

Not to mention that by the time that boys/girls graduate they would have already seen thousands upon thousands of ads, movies, TV shows, etc that stereotype the role of men and women. 

In a 2016 study, girls between the ages of 8-12 are 19 percent less active than boys. This is a result of the lack of encouragement from their family members and their teachers. The study also states that girls:

• take approximately 2,000 fewer steps than boys, which can result in health issues
• have 18 percent lower cardio-respiratory fitness
• 44 percent lower eye-hand coordination
• 9 percent perceived altitude in physical activity
• 5 percent more body fat

This gender gap in sports also affects the women who are in the professional sport industry, particularly the athletes. 

Over the course of a 25-year study of women's sport coverage, three researchers from USC and Purdue have found that female athletes are belittled compared to their male counterpart. Over the course of their research, the three coined the term "gender-bland sexism," describing how women sports are talked about when televised. In more detail, networks such as SportsCenter use "bland" language to normalize their sports compared to men's. The authors also discovered that even when compared to women's sport coverage from 1989-1999, that even though it is respectful it is still lackluster. The research also concluded that highlights, interviews, and other coverage were relatively shorter in women's sports than in men's.

While we are still not where we should be in terms of equality of women in sport, people like Leah Robinson have provided hope for the future. Robinson has developed a curriculum, CHAMP, in order to help develop motor skills and physical activity for girls and boys ages 3-5. While there are still differences in terms of participation, the fact that more girls are active and have a support system should help eliminate sex-role stereotypes in the future.

Sources: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/gender-stereotypes-ruin-sports-for-young-women#6

https://www.studyfinds.org/gender-bland-sexism-lackluster-coverage-womens-sports/

Deviance in Sport

In the November 1, 2018 class we discussed the topic of deviance in sport. We discussed what it meant to be deviant, examples of deviance in society and in sport, as well as the problems when studying deviance. In the list below, I have put in more detail what we discussed as a class on the topic of deviance in sport.

• Deviant- an act/person that differs from the norm, especially behavior or attitudes that differ from acceptable standards. 
• Examples of Deviance in Society 
• using illegal drugs
• violent crimes- murder, rape, abuse
• stealing/robbing
• Examples of Deviance in Sport
• fighting/violence
• bounty hunting
• academic cheating
• performance enhancing drugs
• gambling 
• illegal recruiting practices

In addition to the November 1st class, we also discussed the relationship between athletes and drugs as well as role modeling in the November 6, 2018 class. We went over various topics including:

• The use of drugs in society
• The definition of drugs
• Why athletes should/should not use drugs
• How they affect the perception of athletes being seen as role models

While leagues try to stay up to date on current negative trends and be creative in terms of punishment, there is still an issue with athletes in reference to deviance. 

After citing the reasons for his retirement, former Colts and Bears linebacker, Jerrell Freeman was suspended by NFL for 32 games or two years following his positive test for Performance Enhancing Drugs. This was not his first offense, in fact, it was his third time testing positive for PEDs. Freeman was suspended once in 2016 for four games, another in 2017 for 10 games, and now in 2018 for 32 games. 

This goes to show that athletes will do literally anything to win, no matter what the consequences are if they get caught. 

Even "America's Team" has had their fair share with deviance with their athletes. Over the last decade, the number of suspensions handed to the Cowboy players has been absurd. Names like:

• Randy Gregory
• David Irving
• Orlando Scandrick
• Demarcus Lawrence
• Greg Hardy 
• Rolando Mcclain
• Ezekiel Elliot

Currently, wide receiver Terrance Williams was handed a three-game suspension following an arrest for public intoxication in the offseason. Williams, who was rehabbing an injury and already placed on the partially injured reserve list, would not be able to return to the Cowboys until this week. 

In the video below, you can see the extent of his situation that transpired during the summer. Situations like these really set a bad example for those who see Williams as a role model as they see this as normal behavior when you become a football player. This also gives the Dallas Cowboys an even worse image in terms of how they handle their athletes and their behaviors. 

• Sources:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juPRkeZicSA.
• https://www.stampedeblue.com/2018/5/15/17355170/former-colts-lb-jerrell-freeman-banned-two-years-following-retirement
• http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25269035/hot-seat-check-6-nfl-coaches-jobs-line-2018