Sporting News 04.21.12

• 25 games: Number of games Phoenix Coyotes’ Raffi Torres is suspended from after brutal blindside hit Hockey News
• Tweet by the Athletics' Brandon MacCarthy: They put two guys on the 'Kiss Cam' tonight. What hilarity!! (by hilarity I mean offensive homophobia). Enough with this stupid trend. NBC Sports
• A tribute to women's basketball legend Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in NCAA history USA Today
• The new 49ers' new stadium in Santa Clara breaks ground CBS News
• Marc Cuban wonders why NBA stars aren't being paid for the Olympics FOXSports
• The MLS' ratings on NBC off to a decent start Yahoo! Sports

 

Week 13: Mary Lou Retton, Gymnastics

Retton won 5 gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles

Mo 4.16
Read: eR—“Women’s Professional Soccer Fights to Keep Its Top Status” (New York Times), “Why Women’s Sports Struggle to Gain Popularity” (KPBS)
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY (FINAL DRAFT—ATTACH: A. ONE COPY OF DRAFTS 1 & 2 AND B. A TWO PARAGRAPH RATIONALE FOR YOUR FIRST AND SECOND REVISIONS)

We 4.18
Read: eR— “How Media Affects Our Perception of an Athletes Race and Gender” (The Sports Digest), “Women Athletes Have a Reason to Celebrate” (GPhilly)
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 7

Upcoming:

WEEK 14: MICHAEL PHELPS, SWIMMING
Mo 4.23
Read: eR—“Can Women Play with the Men?” (espnW), “State of Uncertainty for Women's Sports” (ESPN)
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations

We 4.25
Class: Lecture—“Sports on TV”
Due: EDITORIAL ESSAY
 

Sporting News 04.14.12

The Giants' closer must have season-ending elbow surgery

• Elbowed out: The Giants' Brian Wilson likely out for season Huffington Post
• Have they created a monster?: Will the Dodgers become a new poaching power? Los Angeles Times
• What do the San Jose Sharks really owe their fans? Bleacher Report
  
• In negotiations: The IOC wants Saudi Arabia to allow female athletes ESPN
• US vs. Canada for women's hockey gold The Province 
• Tragedy: Italian soccer player collapses on field and dies San Jose Mercury News

 

Reflection 07: C'mon, That's Not a Sport—What Is and Isn't a Sport

What are the guidelines for defining an activity as a sport?

Baseball definitely is. So are hockey and volleyball. And, of course, football. In America, there are those recreational activities that are, without question, a "sport." Without hesitation we label certain endeavors as sports, and, in turn, those who participant in them are called athletes. Yet, not all activities are so easily labeled as sports. Activities as varied as synchronized swimming, arm wrestling, auto racing, and hunting have vied to be labeled a sport. But just what is a sport? For example, why are football players unquestionably athletes, yet the cheerleaders who encourage them are not? What is the criteria by which we judge these activities and are they all judged equally? What is the difference between a sport and a game? For this reflection, consider those endeavors that you consider to be sports—and those you do not.

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Settling the Debates: Is It a Sport or Not a Sport?" (Bleacher Report)
• "Poker is Definitely Not a Sport" (Yahoo! Sports)
• "Cheerleading Doesn't Count as a Real Sport, Judge Rules" (Christian Science Monitor)
• "Is Ballroom Dancing a Sport?" (Guardian)

Required:

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

Due: Th 4.19

Week 12: Greg Louganis, Diving

Louganis is a four-time Olympic gold medal winning diver

Mo 4.09
Class: Reading discussion, Writers workshop
Due: REFLECTION 6; CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY (DRAFT 2—BRING 3 COPIES)

We 4.11
Read: eR—“Why the WNBA Isn't—and Will Never Be—a Popular League” (Sports Illustrated), “Has Women's Soccer Gained Any Respect?” (Baltimore Sun)
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations

Upcoming:

Week 13: Mary Lou Retton, Gymnastics
Mo 4.16
Read: eR—“Women’s Professional Soccer Fights to Keep Its Top Status” (New York Times), “Why Women’s Sports Struggle to Gain Popularity” (KPBS)
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY (FINAL DRAFT—ATTACH: A. ONE COPY OF DRAFTS 1 & 2 AND B. A TWO PARAGRAPH RATIONALE FOR YOUR FIRST AND SECOND REVISIONS)

We 4.18
Read: eR— “How Media Affects Our Perception of an Athletes Race and Gender” (The Sports Digest), “Women Athletes Have a Reason to Celebrate” (GPhilly)
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 7

Sporting News 04.07.12

The Saudi Olympic team: Women need not apply

• Saudi Arabia to Olympics: We will not be sending any female athletes to London Chicago Tribune
• New book: OJ Simpson's son was the real killer Fox News
• April 19th: Groundbreaking for new 49ers stadium in Santa Clara San Jose Mercury News
• Boat protester raises questions about security at the London Olympics Associated Press
• Playing from the bench: The Sharks' Ryan Clowe cheated? TheHockeyWriters
• President Obama think Augusta National Golf Club should admit women Fox News

 

Reflection 06: Team Colors—Race and Pro Sports

The Knicks' Jeremy Lin is a trailblazing Asian pro athlete

Traditionally, professional American sports have had a complicated relationship with race. Early pro leagues routinely excluded athletes of color, and many sports didn't sanction them until the mid-20th century. In fact, it took pioneers, such as Wilma Rudolph and Jackie Robinson, to eventually break down many barriers for non-white athletes. Today, the country's major sports leagues are much more integrated, yet certain sports—and certain attitudes—remain as roadblocks. For example, the recent success of the Knicks' Jeremy Lin highlighted both a breakthrough in racial representation and the deep divides of race in professional sports. As much as Lin was heralded for his success, he also faced a barrage of often racist criticism. How far have we come in our views about sports and race? Does there still exist the perception that some sports are primarily for whites? (Or that some sports that are primarily for non-whites?) And what of athletes of different races criticizing one other? For example, was Floyd Mayweather right when he said that "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise"?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Quiz: White Men Can't Jump and Other Assumptions About Race and Sports" (UnderstandingRace.org)
• "Breaking Down ESPN’s Race and Sports Survey" (GoodMenProject)
• "Jeremy Lin and the Failure of Sports’ Racial Stereotypes" (ThinkProgress)
• "Blacks, Sports and Lingering Racial Stereotypes: A Q&A with Sports Sociologist Ben Carrington" (Shelf Life @ Texas)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Must be exactly one page in length
• A Works Cited page 

Due: Mo 4.09