Reflection 03: The Price to Play?—The Sexualization of Female Sports Stars

Are female stars, such as Lindsey Vonn, sexualized in a way men are not?

As female athletes have increased in visibility in American sports, so too has their sexualization. Now, it is not uncommon to see both established and up-and-coming female athletes in provocative magazine spreads or overtly sexual commercials. And while the male athletes, led by international stars Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, are increasingly gaining sexual attention, it is nothing on the scale of their female counterparts. Is sexualization just part of the price of being a pro female athlete? And are these women being smart about their careers by maximizing their exposure or are they ultimately shortchanging themselves and other female athletes?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Sex Positive and Hyper Sexualization in Sports: Is There a Way to Negotiate?" (Bitch)
• "If Sex Doesn’t Sell Women’s Sports, Why Do They Keep Trying?" (Fit and Feminist)
• "The Media's Sexualization of Female Athletes: A Bad Call for the Modern Game" (StudentPulse)
• "Before ESPN’s Body Issue: A Short History of Nude Female Athletes" (Blisstree)

Required:  

• MLA Style
• Must be exactly two-full pages in length
• A Works Cited page

Due: We 2.29

Sporting News 02.20.12

Bocce, a seemingly simple game, doesn't come cheap in NYC

• $507,000: The cost to build a new bocce court in Queens, NYC Gothamist
• Fired ESPN Headline Writer: No racism intended toward Lin Huffington Post
• Qatar: Let us host the 2020 Summer Olympics—in October Reuters
• Lackluster: The Premier League's response to an anti-homophobia campaign Independent
• NASCAR's Danika Patrick tones in down Dayton Daily News
• Introducing Invicta, a new all-female MMA league USA Today

 

Week 05: Kelly Slater, Surfing

Thus far, Slater has earned a record 11 ASP World Champion titles

Mo 2.20
Read: eR— “NCAA to Consider Sweeping Changes in Athlete Aid and Eligibility Rules (The Chronicle of Higher Education), “Should College Athletes be Paid? Why, They Already Are” (Sports Illustrated)
Class: Reading discussion, Writers workshop
Due: PERSUASIVE ESSAY (DRAFT 1—BRING 3 COPIES)

We 2.22
Read: eR—“Why I Can't Stand Youth Sports Anymore” (Denver Post), “Why Sports are Critical for Young Girls” (Huffington Post)
Class: Lecture—“Sports on Film”

Upcoming:

WEEK 06: Mia Hamm, Soccer
Mo 2.27
Read: eR—“I Believe that Sports Truly Saved My Life …” (This I Believe), “I Hated Gym Class and Other Stories” (Runner’s World)
Class: Reading discussion; Lecture—“On Wordiness: Exercises”
Due: PERSUASIVE ESSAY (FINAL DRAFT—ATTACH: A. ONE COPY OF DRAFT 1 AND B. A ONE PARAGRAPH RATIONALE FOR YOUR REVISIONS)

We 2.29
Read: eR—“One Man’s Love for Basketball: First, Baseball” (Owen Strachan), “Gym Class Horrors” (110 Pounds and Counting); FEVER—“1968 – 1975”
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 3

Assignment: Persuasive Essay

March Madness' TV rights alone bring the NCAA $771 million annually

Officially, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) says, “Student-athletes are students first and athletes second. They are not university employees who are paid for their labor.” In light of the hundreds of millions of dollars generated yearly by college sports, is that a fair position? Should student athletes be paid for their services? What are the implications of maintaining the current system, and what might happen if student-athletes received financial compensation? Likewise, who are the winners and losers in the current system? And what happens if the system is changed to compensate student-athletes? Finally, what is in the best interest of student-athletes? In a concise essay, argue for or against student-athletes being financial compensated. Cite specific evidence from at least three of the articles below to support your thesis:

• “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) 
• “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) 
• “Should Student-Athletes Get Paid?” (The Sports Digest) 
• “NCAA to Consider Sweeping Changes in Athlete Aid and Eligibility Rules (The Chronicle of Higher Education) 
• “Should College Athletes be Paid? Why, They Already Are” (Sports Illustrated)

Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• 3-page minimum
• Include a Works Cited page

The best papers will:

• Have a clear argument outlined in a concise thesis
• Stay within the parameters of the prompt, examining the debate over student-athlete pay
• Clearly support their thesis utilizing solid evidence presented in a logical structure
• Properly cite evidence from the above articles using MLA's in-text parenthetical citation method
• Conclude with a summation of the argument, as well as main points
• Be formatted according to MLA Style

Due: Mo 02.20 (Draft 1—Bring 3 copies)

Assignment: PowerPoint Presentations, Sec. 09 (UPDATED)

Mexican fans cheer their team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa

Here is the final presentation schedule for Sec. 9:

Week 06
We 2.29
1. Alison Tang, Jaimee Skyberg, and Meghan Bay (Female Sports Pioneers: Wilma Rudolph, Billie Jean King, Mia Hamm, and Danica Patrick)

Week 07
We 3.7
1. Kristoffer Alquiza and Adrian Alvarez (All About the FIFA World Cup)

Week 08
We 3.14
1. Kunal Palwankar, Rishab Gandhi, and Alex Frank (Famous Rivalries: Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe)

Week 11
Mo 4.2
1. Tristan Esposo, David Franco, and Foloi Vae (Famous Rivalries: Muhammmad Ali and Joe Frazier)

Week 12
We 4.11
1. Emily Thumann, Nicole Zheng, and Gaby Cazares (Icons of the 20th Century: Michael Jordan)

Week 13
Mo 4.16
1. Alyssa Strand, Brittany Ward, and Mykayla Perrone (The Black Sox Scandal)
2. Chris Chan, EJ De la Cruz, and Lancing Chen (The Ancient Olympic Games)

We 4.18
1. Hayoung Shin and Avneet Gupta (The Game Changer: Title IX)

Week 14
Mo 4.23
1.Kiara Tinknell, Nicole Shiu, and Nima Sarrafzadeh (Sports and Social Status: Polo, Crew, Lacrosse, and Sailing)

Assignment: PowerPoint Presentations, Sec. 01 (UPDATED)

Ming Yao is one of the most compelling Asian icons in pro sports

Here is the final presentation schedule for Sec. 1:

Week 06
We 2.29 
1. Lauren Spicer, Matt Martin, and Thanh Nguyen (Hockey 101: Basics of the Sport)

Week 07
We 3.7
1. Elham (Ellie) Dehdari, Jeanne Ngyuen, and Justin Nguyen (Soccer 101: Basics of the Sport)
2. Daniel Rica, Jacob Contreras, and Marissa Garcia (Famous Rivalries: The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox)

Week 08
We 3.14
1. Maritsa Garcia, Veronica Miller, and Diana Orozco (Asians in Pro Sports: Kristi Yamaguchi, Tiger Woods, Ming Yao, and Apolo Ohno)

Week 11
Mo 4.2
1. Amanda Morales, Swathi Kotturu, Brandy Cruz (Latinos in Pro Sports: Diego Maradona, Julio Cesar Chavez, Dara Torres, and Alex Rodriguez)


Week 12
We 4.11
1. Shannon Welch, Carlos Rodriguez and Aysha Choudhery (All About the FIFA World Cup)

Week 13
Mo 4.16
1. Cara Bardine, Shannon Rost, and Emily Recania (Icons of the 21st Century: David Beckham)

We 4.18
1. Thanh Nguyen-Duong, Nicholas Repetto, Janeth Gonzalez (The All-American Girls Baseball League: A Look Back)

Week 14
Mo 4.23
1. Alex Nguyen (The Ancient Olympic Games)

Week 04: Babe Ruth, Baseball

In 22 seasons in MLB, Ruth hit 714 home runs

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

Upcoming:

Week 05: Kelly Slater, Surfing
Mo 2.20
Read: eR— “NCAA to Consider Sweeping Changes in Athlete Aid and Eligibility Rules (The Chronicle of Higher Education), “Should College Athletes be Paid? Why, They Already Are” (Sports Illustrated)
Class: Reading discussion, Writers workshop
Due: PERSUASIVE ESSAY (DRAFT 1—BRING 3 COPIES)

We 2.22
Read: eR—“Why I Can't Stand Youth Sports Anymore” (Denver Post), “Why Sports are Critical for Young Girls” (Huffington Post)
Class: Lecture—“Sports on Film”