John M Barry On Politics Analysis

In the book titled Race, Sports, and the American Dream, it discussed how sports helped change the place of African-American in society. “Sports was well segregated deep into the 20th century” (Smith 9). How college football looked in America in the 1950s was exactly how American society looked in the 1950s, segregated and racist. African-American athletes in college football helped fight and negate stereotypes because it showed that they are equally as good

In Jeffrey Schranks’ short story, “Sport and the American Dream”, he is trying to show us that the sport America watches and plays, portrays America’s character as a nation. Since America goes from baseball to football we it shows us that we are becoming more violent. his comparisons of sports and war is says best how America changes as a country over the years. Back when baseball was Americas’ pastime to being a totally football country. When we were a baseball country, Americans were happier, not many cared about wars or violence just the enjoyment they got from watching the games with friends or family at the ballpark. It didn’t matter that the sport wasn’t moving at a fast pace or so competitive. Football is the

Consequently, the political sphere is now being colonised by the media, and politics has begun re-orientating itself to satisfy the logic of media organisations (Meyer, 2002, p. 71). Therefore, the media are active participants in the policymaking process and the ability to stimulate change or maintain the status quo depends on their choice of subject or policy issue and how they frame it. Active investigative reporting attempts to shape policy outcomes, but this does not necessarily mean that it always represents the most successful approach for gaining policy changes (Spitzer, 1993, p. 7). In fact, sometimes passive, straight reporting can have a greater influence on policy choices. When this occurs, media independence is largely bypassed, as the news generated depends solely on the information released (as public relations material) from legitimate news sources. For example, in the United States, White House staff routinely make ‘leaks’ - expressively to influence policy decisions (Davis, 1992, p. 143; Robinson, 2001, p. 948). Robinson noted that journalists regard “leaks… as indispensable to their work” and that they are aware of their use by officials in return for scoops (2001, p. 949).

Sports of old were merely competitive activities rooted in heroism and romanticism. Sports activities today, however, have no such innocence or simplicity. Currently in America, the activities that make up our sports culture is not only the competitive events themselves but the processes and issues that underlie and surround them. Entwined in our sports culture is the giant business of mass broadcasting. Indeed, sports and the media go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly, like Mickey and Minnie, Darth Vader and Luke. They are intertwined and depend on each other to continue to grow. Sports media includes television, radio, magazines, newspapers, books, films, and, now, most importantly, social media devices provided by the

The Clarence Thomas proved to be a true political spectacle as eighty six percent of the American public admitted to having watched at least an hour of the Clarence Thomas hearings . The spectacle’s appeal to such a large number of Americans was an invitation for further intervention from the media. The opportunistic media capitalized on a situation where millions of viewers tuned in and used their coverage to influence the public. The media was able to manipulate the estimated 27 million viewers that watched the hearings .The media recognized that the personal drama of a public figure was a greater draw than political element of the hearings, and therefore highlighted the unsightly side of

Furthermore, sports and success within the sports world are what many Americans perceive to be the equivalent to success or domination within the realm of politics, economics, and militarily. The ideology of success in sports coinciding with political, economic, and military success is evident when analyzing the “Miracle on Ice;” the United States Men’s Hockey team’s defeat of Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics. By default, this Olympic victory for the United States’ perpetuated the perspective that Russia’s beloved Communism form of government was inefficient, added unprecedented support regarding the Cold War, and stimulated our economy as result of the added encouragement for American capitalism and a free market. For many Americans, this event was the start of the modern coexistence between American globalization, capitalism, and sports. Essentially, this is where sports became more than just a game; where corporations such as Nike; athletes such as Michael Jordan; and sports such as American Football, and Baseball were presented the opportunity to dominate socially and

Politician and the author of the book Hardball: How Politics Is Played, Told by One Who Knows the Game Christopher Matthews is well renowned as a leading figure in explaining the inner workings of American politics. His book Hardball is a nonfiction he wrote about his experiences in politics and boiled down succeeding as a politician into fourteen maxims. He bases these maxims off of his own real experiences in politics and others’ who have both succeeded and failed. For you do well in the game of politics you should make sure to follow at least these two maxims: “All Politics is Local” and “Keep your Enemies in Front of You.” However, you must be aware that Matthew’s maxim “Press is the Enemy” isn’t necessarily true.

Samuel Freedman uses rhetoric to call white American sports fan to attention. Although it is only a four page article, Freedman effectively uses the three main rhetorical techniques of pathos, ethos, and logos. By appealing to all aspects of the readers analytical senses, this helps Freedman strongly portray his message for justice in the sports community for not only black athletes, but for anyone of any race or background.

Although competition is something that can drive one to the top of a mountain, sometimes there can be an enormous negative consequence that no one can handle. Middletown High School, where Brendan Lawlor and Gary Searle both attend, holds an extremely high competitive atmosphere. In particular, this school puts the most drive into their football players and wrestlers. “Everyone around here knows the football players. Either they see them at the games or they read about them in the newspaper” (78). However, as shown in this book competitiveness may lead to a complicated result, in this case a shooting. As a result of the power put into the athlete at Middletown High School, the athletes and the academic students receive contrasting treatment

On the third, Trump tweeted “The rigged Dem Primary, one of the biggest political stories in years, got ZERO coverage on Fake News Network TV last night. Disgraceful!”. Trump attempts to show the extent of bias in the media exposing that they didn’t report a major event. This tweet has bias towards Trump’s personal agenda against the media. Additionally, Trump exposes the strength of the media’s gatekeepers and how greatly they can impact which issues are talked about.

The contradiction between the expectation of power and the reality or powerlessness is part of what makes ordinary men avid fans of violent sports” (Schwalbe, page 44). This section concludes that men try to ease the pain that is there because they might not be “powerful enough” by watching sports that shows signs of excessive toughness and muscle. Just watching it makes them feel a tad more in control. Men in power may be more materialistically corrupt than men without power, but the men that are powerless are indefinitely more spiritually corrupt than those not dealing with this form of immorality. “To appear competitive, he may strive to outdo his fellow workers, bringing a smile to the boss’s face” (Schwalbe, page 42), this quote proves

In “A Leader is More than a Message” by Toni Smith, she discusses how politics tie in with athletics more than people think. She informs the reader about how they intertwine through her opinion and the role they can have on their fans and audience.

Media is known as the “king maker” for many reasons, such as shaping candidates in audience’s perspective. Television has been a big influence in shaping voters choice and labeling political parties, even though some believe media information can be scant in regards to candidates. Media can be anything from television to social media networks and how many people think that media is a great influence, some also think it can be a problem. “It only takes 140 characters to damage a political campaign” in which Smith is referring to social media as being a problem. (Smith, K. 2011. Pg. 9) At the state and local levels party affiliation remains the most important. “In television age, journalist became the chief influence in the selection of candidates

The main ideas of the essay Evolution and Revolution: Leadership Media Strategies, by Timothy E. Cook, are the impacts of the media in the legislative branch and the politicians who used the media throughout the years and why Newt Gingrich was so successful. The author’s thesis stated that, since the spring of 1995, Newt Gingrich was able to gain many televised press conferences, interviews and a nationally televised speech (368). Timothy’s thesis is significant because it gives the reader the insight that the media does play in role in the legislative branch and not just in the executive branch.

"Politics has come to be considered not only inappropriate in the arena of sports, but actually antithetical to it," Zirin says. "We want so much to see sports solely as an arena of play, not seriousness. But here's the thing, this can cheapen not only the greatness and relevance of sports to us as a society, but also the courage of the athletes" (The Nation). The pursuit of fame, wealth and status can blind the human conscious, which is why it is important for us to encourage athletes to speak their minds. As a nation, we should not silence the athletes, because it is the truly courageous athletes who have the audacity to stand up when it’s not popular. Sports should be used as a platform for a certain kind of politics: militarism,