Sporting News 02.11.12

SJSU's new multi-million dollar sports facility opens in 2013

• Coming soon: The Bill Walsh Center at Spartan Stadium San Jose Mercury News
• Former Red Sox player admits he was on cocaine during many games Huffington Post
• All games should start like this: Will Farrell introduces players at a Hornets-Bulls game USA Today
• Do athletes care about winning as much as we do? Los Angeles Times
• On fire: "Linsanity" takes off Huffington Post
• US soccer star, Alex Morgan, to appear in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue—in a painted bikini New York Post

Assignment: Expository Essay

Ratliff Stadium is the heart and soul of the Odessan community

Describe how football has come to define the town of Odessa, Texas. How does it represent both a source of civic pride, as well as individual achievement? How does the community reward football greatness, and what are the consequences for failure? Finally, what is football's influence on other aspects of Odessa life, such as religion, race, and social class? In a concise essay, explore the ways in which football is the cultural linchpin of the community. Cite extensively from Friday Night Lights to support your thesis.

Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• 3-page minimum
• Include a works cited page

The best papers will:

• Stay within the parameters of the prompt, examining the impact football has had on the community of Odessa
• Have a concise thesis that both addresses the subject matter and contains a viable argument
• Clearly support their thesis utilizing solid evidence presented in a logical structure
• Properly cite evidence from Friday Night Lights using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Conclude with a summation of the main points
• Be formatted according to MLA Style

Due: We 2.15

Reflection 02: Down the Line—Soccer's Popularity in America

Many American stars, like Carlos Bocanegra, still seek mainstream exposure

In 1994, sports marketer Nye Lavalle boldly predicted that “There is no chance (Major League Soccer) will survive. Absolutely no chance whatsoever.” His prediction was grim, but also wrong. Almost twenty years later, American pro soccer has not only survived, but grown its base. Still, no one today can exactly argue that soccer's popularity in America has exactly exploded in that time, either. Of the major American sports leagues, it has the lowest attendance and brings in the least amount of sponsorship dollars. Men's pro soccer has, thus far, failed to seep into the country's consciousness, the way other sports, say, basketball and baseball, have. So, in many regards, soccer remains the ugly step-child of American sports. (As for women's pro soccer in America, it is faring even worse than the men, having just suspended its 2012 season.) Of course, this stands in stark contrast to the rest of the world, where soccer—or football, as it's known—is a maniacal obsession. Why has soccer failed to take firmly root in America? What is behind many Americans' resistance to the sport? And is it just a matter of time before soccer joins the ranks of baseball and football, or will it always be relegated to second-class status?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Top Ten Reasons to Hate Soccer" (Bleacher Report) 
• "So, What If Soccer Isn't a Big Deal Here?" (Wall Street Journal)
• "Can Soccer Be Popular in the U.S.? Actually, Numbers Show it Already is" (Bleacher Report)
• "Analysis: Soccer Growing, but US Not Delivering on Field" (Reuters)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Must be exactly two-full pages in length

Due: We 2.15

Week 03: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Track and Field

Joyner-Kersee has won 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze Olympic medals

Mo 2.6
Read: FRIDAY—“Friday Night Politics” – “Heads or Tails”
Class: DIAGNOSTIC ESSAY
Due: REFLECTION 1

We 2.8
Read: FRIDAY—“Friday Night Addiction” – “Field of Dreams”
Class: Reading discussion

Upcoming:

Week 04: Babe Ruth, Baseball
Mo 2.13
Read: eR—“Which Football and Basketball Programs Produce the Largest Profits?” (The Business of College Sports), “Why the Biggest Problem with the NCAA Isn't Paying Players” (Bleacher Report), “Should Student-Athletes Get Paid?” (The Sports Digest)
Class: Reading discussion; Lecture—“MLA Style 101”

We 2.15
Read: eR—“Opinion: Why College Athletes Should Not be Paid” (USA Today), “The Shame of College Sports” (The Atlantic), “Why Student-Athletes are Not Paid to Play” (NCAA)
Class: Reading discussion; Preview—Persuasive essay; Lecture—“The Fundamentals of Rhetoric”
Due: EXPOSITORY ESSAY; REFLECTION 2