UConn Women's Dynasty

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1168378/index.htm

Maya Moore and the University of Connecticut Women’s basketball team have just won their 80th game in row with their win over Baylor. This brings them to within 8 victories of tying the legendary 88 game winning streak of John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty. Although this streak gets some national coverage from networks such as ESPN, it is getting nowhere near the respect it should be receiving. This type of winning streak happens once in a generation, and it may not be seen again for decades. If this were a Men’s college team about to break UCLA’s mark, it would be the top story on SportsCenter every single night. This shows that although women’s sports have come a long way in a short period of time, they still have plenty of room left to grow (Coakley 240). This winning streak is so impressive because of the way that the team just dominates their competition. Out of the 80 wins so far 78of them have been by 10 or more points. That statistic just shows the dominance of the team over the past two years and they should be receiving more attention than they are getting.

In the article I read in Sports Illustrated about the impact of dynasty’s in sports it makes a good case for the success of the team and the growth of the sport. It references Lombardi’s Packers and the growth of football, as well as the Red Auerbach and Bill Russell Celtic’s that dominated the NBA for years. It says that with the success of these teams in created rivalries with other cities that greatly increased interest and coverage of the sport. It will be the goal of the entire sport to knock of the Huskies and this raises the level of competition in the sport. UConn is getting everybody’s best shot on every night, because if a team can knock off UConn then their season gets a whole new meaning to it. The success the Huskies have achieved in this streak has definitely brought out the critics of women’s sports and the lack of competition. The fact that women’s college basketball is always compared to the men’s sport impacts the interest. Basketball is usually considered a men’s sport and many fans of basketball will only want to watch the men’s game (Coakley 246). The 2009 TV ratings for the Women’s Final Four was up 33 percent from the previous year, which shows that the streak may have drawn in new fans. In women’s sports history the University of North Carolina won 16 of the first 19 Titles, but in the following nine years there were four new champions. This competition helped the U.S. women win the World Cup and did help a women’s professional league come into existence for a short period of time. Many people have talked about how the streak is bad for the game and will set the sport back not help to move it forward. However if the examples that the article states remain true, the streak is going to help in the growth and coverage of the sport.

Redefining Victory

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/17/how-i-ve-redefined-victory.html

Tiger Woods has fallen about as far as any person could ever imagine. He was at the top of the world and appeared to have about as perfect a life that anyone could hope for. He was the best golfer in the world, was adored by thousands maybe millions of fans, married to a beautiful woman, had two healthy children, and has made an estimated billion dollars playing a game that millions in the world love to play. Then last Thanksgiving it all came crashing down around him, after a minor car accident and short trip to the hospital with minor injuries revealed an infidelity scandal that became the top story of the world for the past year.

Not only the sporting world but everyone was enamored by this humiliation. It can probably be said that the only thing America loves more than a hero, is watching that hero fall. As we all know the media has drastically changed over the past couple of decades. Gone are the days where athletes can enjoy a private life off the field. The sporting world depends on the media coverage for its publicity and revenue, without the media, sport could not exist in the way we have come to know it today. The two business’ feed off of each other, and they are stronger because of their connection. “Sports and the media are interconnected parts of our lives. Sports provide valuable media content, and many sports depend on the media for publicity and revenues (Coakley 394).” The media helped make Tiger his millions of dollars and he had an unimaginable admiration from a vast majority of fans, but suddenly the media had rightfully turned on him, and now any person who had known Tiger was getting their fifteen minutes of fame at his expense. Now begins the climb back to respectability and approval that Tiger had taken for granted the last couple of years.

In a recent first person Newsweek article Tiger is continuing to rehabilitate his tattered image. He discusses the drastic change in his life that came as a result of the scandal last Thanksgiving. This article was a great step in regaining the public; he talks about his change in philosophy and his outlook on life. He shows a much more personable side of himself, and for the first time in his career he is relating to his fans. He talks about how he is no longer as driven by practicing for hours on end, but now the little things in life like being with his children. This shows a whole new side of Tiger and is a refreshing look at the person behind all the greatness he has achieved on the golf course.

I am most definitely a part of the Tiger generation in golf. I still remember watching Tiger Woods growing up and wanting to go out to the driving range and pretend to be him. Still today almost all of my golfing attire is Nike because of how much I enjoyed him. When the news of his scandal came out, I did not know how to react. Here was one of my favorite sports icons who had done something somewhat unforgivable. This was the second time that one of my sporting hero’s had done this. I was a huge Kobe Bryant fan growing up, like Tiger and golf Kobe was the reason I became interested in basketball. When his scandal came out I was younger and I did not understand a much as I do today and I never wavered in my support of him. As time goes on I still will cheer for Tiger because I was drawn to him by his golfing abilities not his personal life. However as long as he continues to change as a person, and these words and changes he has promised continue in his actions I can cheer for Tiger the human, as well as the golfer. Sometimes people need a wakeup call to change for the better, and everyone can have a second chance, it is what they do with there second chance that separates people. I feel that Kobe has changed as a person and become more family oriented and I hope Tiger can continue on the same path.

LeBron Race Factor

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/thetoydepartment/2010/10/lebron_james_mike_vick_and_the.html

Racism is a complicated and controversial issue for anyone to talk about in a public forum. When it comes to the sporting world I often feel that sport does more to bring different races together than to pull it apart. Sport has the unique ability to bring people together from all walks of life. Whether it is being a fan at a game or playing the sport, people from all different backgrounds come together. Although sports can often bring in to question the issues of racism, because of the fact that so many minorities are represented on the playing field. Despite problems, sports also can challenge racial ideology and change ethnic relations (Coakley 313). So why is it that race is still such a big issue at the professional level? There are multiple factors that go into this subject. Race is still an issue in our society today, and although our country has come a long way in the past couple decades, there is still progress to be made. The fact alone that race is brought up so often just shows that it is still a big issue in society today.

The LeBron James saga that played out in the summer of 2010 was national news. Everywhere you looked from sports outlets to news outlets, LeBron was front page news. This was a highly anticipated summer from the time LeBron signed his second contract that put in an exit option for the summer of 2010. Along with the likes of Dwayne Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki this was the biggest group of free agents in one offseason in the history of sports in America. The question had been asked for years about whether one of the NBA’s biggest stars would be content to play in the small Cleveland market with the likes of New York and South Beach calling his name. When the hometown King from nearby Akron, Ohio was drafted by the Cavaliers, he was a savior to people from Cleveland, whose fans had been without a championship for decades. The thought of him leaving to play in another uniform had to be a sickening nightmare to them. When LeBron went on ESPN for his “Decision” special, he took an incredible amount of criticism for this. He went on to famously say that he will take his talents to South Beach and the Miami Heat to play alongside Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. What happens afterward is where all the questions of race and racism come into play. Whether it was his former owner writing a letter expressing his new hatred of LeBron or talk shows around the country sparking debate about his decision, LeBron was taking a lot of heat, no pun intended.

When LeBron did his first interview after choosing to leave Cleveland he was asked whether he felt race played a factor in all the anger directed towards him. He said that he believed it was a factor in his new role of a villain. I disagree with his assessment, yes some ignorant people may just dislike him for being a successful black athlete, the overwhelming majority dislikes him for the way he went about leaving Cleveland. If race were a main factor in the new dislike for LeBron, then why is it that Chris Bosh who is also black is not receiving the same sentiment? In his “decision” special LeBron comes off as an egotistical, self-centered person. Instead of just signing a contract with the Heat he had to make a big show of himself and make all his fans wait on pins and needles for him. He never once thanked the fans of Cleveland for all the support they have showed him, or his teammates for giving there all to play with him. This is why there is the new hatred of a once well liked athlete, and race is far down on the list. Whether race ever becomes a thing of the past, no one will know, but as long as people continue to bring it up, it will continue to be talked about. While it is still an issue, some people resort to using it as an excuse a little too often for my liking.

President Manny Pacquiao?

http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2010/11/11/will-politics-pull-manny-pacquiao-into-retirement/

Manny Pacquiao has just defeated Antonio Margarito for his 10th World Title in his world record 8th different weight class. He is widely considered the best “Pound for Pound” boxer in world, he was recently named the 2000’s Fighter of the Decade by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and has been the Boxer of the Year in 2006, 2008, and 2009. Manny Pacquiao has just about done it all in the ring aside from the “fight to save boxing” between Manny and Floyd Mayweather Jr., that he now is turning his attention to a different ring, the political ring.

Manny was recently elected to the House of Representatives in the 15th Congress of the Philippines in May of 2010. The story of Manny Pacquiao is inspiring and amazing; he has come from being homeless and unable to afford food or clothing to becoming one of the best boxers of all time and having millions of dollars. He now is giving back to his home country and home province of Sarangani, by representing him and using his fame and fortune to help others that he can relate to on a personal level. Manny is revered in the Philippines, and now instead of relaxing and enjoying life after boxing, he is giving back to the country he loves. The sky is the limit for Manny Pacquiao and becoming the future President of the Philippines is not out of the question for him. Manny Pacquiao has described helping people as his greatest passion, and he is using his fame for good, instead of showboating and getting in trouble. This is a refreshing, motivating story about an athlete who really has gone from “rags to riches” and now wants to change the world for good.

When we discussed how some athletes go from sporting ring to the political ring, we mentioned people such as Tom Osborne, Steve Largent, Jesse Ventura, and Lynn Swann (Coakley 488). We also discussed why athletes see politics as a career after sport. We mentioned the continued need for fame and prestige, money, and power. These former athletes campaigned as tough, hard-working, and loyal candidates dedicated to winning (Coakley 488). It is the things that are not mentioned, like helping the constituents and giving back to the community that elected you, that should be most important in a politician. Manny Pacquiao has chosen politics for these reasons, and I really believe he should be commended for that. Instead of wanting to stay in the limelight he wants to help people who are not as fortunate as him, and help modernize his home so that his people can enjoy the luxuries that so few are able to in the Philippines. Manny Pacquiao has become a real life People’s Champion.

Global Expansion

http://www.miscellanynews.com/2.1580/nfl-nba-consider-european-expansion-1.2392738

The NFL and NBA are two of the most popular sports in America today. These businesses depend on sponsorships and broadcasting rights to continue to grow economically (Coakley 354). With the American market pretty much tapped out as well as the recession these two leagues are looking for a new revenue producer. The obvious answer to this problem is a global expansion specifically to Europe and Asia (Coakley 359). While the NBA is clearly the more global game the NFL is consistently trying to enter the European market. Both leagues currently play games overseas with the NBA having a preseason tour in various countries and the NFL’s annual game in London. The NBA began its global brand after the 1992 Dream Teams success in the Olympics, which spread the game globally (Coakley 359). With the NBA’s market growing in China, athletes such as Kobe Bryant enjoying huge popularity and endorsement opportunities in the new economically powerful country. The NFL has a more limited expansion mainly to London as well as Mexico. The NFL annually plays one game a year in London and has played a game in Mexico City in the past. One of the main draws for the Mexican audience is New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez who has a big following in Mexico based on his heritage. Although the NFL has a tougher road in global expansion because of the lack of interest they will continue to try and grow their brand in Mexico as well as its continued presence in London.

These two leagues continued interest in global expansion could hurt the game nationally. When the NFL plays a regular season game one team loses a home game and with the NFL’s small schedule this takes away a fairly large portion of revenue. NBA commissioner David Stern has continually talked about expanding as far as adding an entire European division to the league. While there may be enough interest in basketball globally, this would be taking it a little too far. A road trip to Europe is not just a few hours on a plane; it would affect the play on the court. Not to mention the time differences that would make it difficult for fans in the states to watch their team play. As long as these two leagues keep the expansion to a limited basis it would make the leagues financially stronger without affecting the product. Except as long as money is the driving force of the billion dollar industries and a down economy, the leagues have to do whatever it takes to make money, even if it is at the fans expense

Gareth Thomas

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1168953/index.htm

Deviance-occurs when a person’s ideas, traits, or actions are perceived by others to fall outside their normal range of acceptance in society (Coakley 157). Informal Deviance-violations of unwritten customs and shared understandings that are punished by unofficial sanctions administered by observers or peer (Coakley 157). These two actions are prevalent in sport whether it is from performance enhancing drug use, run-ins with the law, or getting away with things the average person could not because of your fame. One area that is never covered by the media and something that I had never thought of until I ran across this article is an openly gay male athlete.

According to this Sports Illustrated article there is only one in the entire world, out of the thousands of athletes worldwide, there is only one openly gay male athlete; that person is Gareth Thomas. Gareth Thomas is a Welsh rugby footballer in the Welsh Rugby Union as well as for the Welsh National Team. Thomas is one of the greatest rugby players in the history of the Welsh National Team; he has more appearances than any other person, and has been the Captain of the national team and numerous other club teams. These should be the only important facts that fans need to know or think about when it comes to Gareth; however it inevitably his rugby playing career will not be the only thing that is talked about.

This brings to light the issue of conformity in sports, why is it that only one person out of thousands had the courage to come out? It is from the fear that his teammates would abandon him, the fans would no longer cheer for him, and going on the road he would be heckled and threatened beyond belief. This sense of camaraderie and belonging would be gone if even a few teammates refused to play with an openly gay athlete. Because of the fact that male sports are so highly based on power, speed, and violence, the public views that the sports world could only be filled by straight men. I believe that this issue will take a very similar path to that of minorities in sport, it took one person with a tremendous amount of courage like Jackie Robinson to open the way for others to follow. The first couple of athletes brave enough to stand up to prejudice will face hardship and scrutiny, but it will help future generations in acceptance. I predict that in the near future more and more gay athletes will come out to their teammates and fans. Sport has a powerful way of uniting people, and maybe the sports world will help in the acceptance of everyone.

Little League's Million Dollar Arms

The Little League World Series has been on ESPN every year since 1963. It has become extremely popular and ESPN now has a contract to broadcast every game on one of its stations until 2014. Hidden behind this popular tournament is a scary fact that has been swept under the rug for years. That is the overuse injuries that are experienced by the games 12 year old pitchers. It is not uncommon anymore for kids younger than 16 to have to have Tommy John surgery, shoulder surgery, or any elbow surgery, or tendonitis before these kids even had a chance to realize their dream of becoming a big league ball player.

Recent studies conducted by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews and Dr. John Difiori have shown that Little League turns a blind eye to the dangers facing these young pitchers without strict inning limits as well as more important pitch limits. In MLB pitch limits are common place now with young phenoms such as Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals or Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees. These arms are treated as gold where every move is watched closely by the pitching coach and manager, because of the millions of dollars on the line. When Dr. Andrews and Dr. Difiori were hired my USA Baseball to look at the problems of youth arm injuries, they came up with alarming statistics about overuse, throwing curveballs too young and too often, and coaches and parents pushing their children to the limits. The doctors came up with guidelines given to USA Baseball to help prevent these injuries, only to have the organization give a watered down version of guidelines that would now be followed. Why ask for professional advice if you are not going to listen?

It is now up to the parents of their children to keep their own pitch limits and take responsibility for the kid’s safety. There are numerous problems in youth sports like pressures to win, injuries, and pressures from parents. Nevertheless the benefits such as the values learned, fitness for an overweight generation, and the life skills learned outweigh these negatives. Youth sports should be a great life experience and now parents and our generation needs to take the initiative to make sure that this danger of overuse ends now and youth sports can continue to be an integral part of athletics.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/more/04/06/youthsports.untilithurts/index.html