Winning Is the Only Thing by Randy Roberts and James Olsen

Sports are extremely popular around the world and only get more popular as time goes on. Sports is on television (TV), in the news, in the newspaper, and online. It only makes sense that this is the case. A sporting event is the ultimate drama. The variability of a game is what gets people so into it. Sports can tell a story, and teach great life lessons as well as inspire people. If sports are that important to the people around the world who watch it, just think about how important sports are to the ones who actually play it and coach it. It is their passion, their persona, their life. With the media’s harsh expectations of teams today, unless a team wins a championship, they are deemed unsuccessful. Since expectations are so high,

This essay will concentrate on looking at the ethnic and class divide within the sports subculture of American society, and how it reflects American Society as a whole. When examining any society there is a always a broad area to cover, while looking at America’s society I will be looking at the arguments that it is the ‘land of the free’ a ‘new nation’ which immigrants flocked to start a new life in a country of much ‘opportunity’. I will be using the sport in the 19th century to examine just how much America was a land of opportunity and of the free, and whether it differed from the attitudes in countries from around the rest of the world.

Sports, games, and politics are associated with one another more than most people think. This 2010 documentary, called Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports, is produced by Chris Boulton, Jeremy Earp, Scott Morris, and Jason Young and written by Dave Zirin, Jeremy Earp & Chris Boulton. The video is based on the bestselling book A People’s History of Sports in the United States by Dave Zirin that displays how the American sports have been, for many decades, revolved around major political struggles and debates. Dave Zirin is the author of five bestseller books and the host of Edge of Sports Radio station. This hour long video is broken down into five segments: the introduction, in the Arena, like a girl, breaking the color barrier,

   There can be no question that sport and athletes seem to be considered less than worthy subjects for writers of serious fiction, an odd fact considering how deeply ingrained in North American culture sport is, and how obviously and passionately North Americans care about it as participants and spectators. In this society of diverse peoples of greatly varying interests, tastes, and beliefs, no experience is as universal as playing or watching sports, and so it is simply perplexing how little adult fiction is written on the subject, not to mention how lightly regarded that little which is written seems to be. It should all be quite to the contrary; that our fascination and familiarity with

Mandell, R. D. (1984). American Sports in the 1920's. In Sport, a Cultural History(pp. 188-189). New York, US: Columbia University Press.

Sports in America evolved tremendously throughout history, in various ways but some of the more recent illustrations of growth have been media coverage, corporatization, and sport celebritization for example. With this in mind, the argument that is now present within the current sporting model is where is the integrity of sports. My belief is that it was lost in the transition of using sport for a source of entertainment. As the level of competiveness rises the more lucrative and entertaining the sport becomes; but at what cost is the consumer as well as producer willing to generate that product? That product that I’m referencing is the actual athletes in a given sporting landscape, not only are athletes being controlled and manipulated to produce the best product on the shelves but also spoon fed a false hope at becoming a wealthy professional athlete. In this paper, I will critically analyze athletics on the Youth, Intercollegiate, and Professional level and how systematic slavery is a prevalent concept in the contemporary sporting model also the affect sports has on the African American youth in particular.

Some may say that sports have always been an important aspect of the United States’ culture. Reviewing modern day society is relatively easy to see how this hypothesis could be proven. The majority of American’s watch one major sport with almost a pious devotion. In fact, even the percentage of the populace who do not enjoy watching various sports activity know at least something about the sports, team, and its players. However, in the world with many sports to participate and be a spectator of America seems very selective with their sports obsession. An obsession that has been known to take over their lives during the season.

Throughout many aspects of the article, Gorn reveals evidence that sports are intrinsically tied to the development of power and superiority. “Above all, brutal recreations toughened men for a violent social life in which the exploitation of labor, the specter of poverty, and a fierce struggle for status were daily realities” (Elliot J. Gorn, 2001, p. 22). Individual status was never permanently fixed, thus “men frantically sought to assert their prowness” (Elliot J. Gorn, 2001, p. 21). Based on aggressive self-assertion and manly pride we can see that there was a fierce competition and struggle for social standing. If we look at sports today, we can see that sports are more than just a contest, an effort to impress judges or a struggle for

Before one embarks on the difficult task of determining whether or not a text belongs in the canon of American sports literature, one must determine whether or not such a canon exists. Recent critical debate about the subjective and restrictive nature of canonicity, as well as questions about the veracity and/or necessity of literary canons, make it difficult for any contemporary critic to bestow canonical status on a particular text or author. However, the inherent complication of determining canonicity proves even more challenging when it comes to sports literature. To begin with, there is the question of whether sports literature warrants its own canon. Based on the lack of critical attention sports literature has received over the years,

In America, sports have become almost an epidemic across the country. They have embedded themselves in a society that promotes a type of competition at every level. According to Eddie Matz, a senior writer at ESPN, approximately 40 million kids play some sort of youth sport. The obsession of sports is further validated by the nfl’s revenue last year, which topped 9 billion dollars(Carnette). From an early age, younger generations are taught to embody these sports, which only contributes to this addiction. They are pushed to play sports year round, watch their favorite teams during their respective seasons, and idolize the stars that transcend the athletics they love. While not always the case, as these generations grow up, many of the children

The history of global sport is important because it brings up many controversial topics, such as amateurism, effect on society, gambling, racism, and feminism. Sport is not important because of what happens on the field, but rather the politics that aren’t highlighted in the game recap. It is important to know the issues that arise through sports to understand society during the era. First off, amateurism vs professional isn’t often seen as an issue, but in The Olympics and the NCAA, it once was. With the NCAA, students did not like the amateurism ideal because of the commitment required and felt they should be compensated in some way other than free tuition and boarding. The NCAA even prohibits athletes from attaining a job, preventing them

Sport and war intertwine as long as one can look back at their history 's. Conflict always seems to be taking place, as do sporting events across the nation. Their similarities are numerous, and their modern ties are often front and center in the public’s perception. Today American football and basketball have risen to become two of the most prominent and followed events in the currently connected era. The Iraq War, the War in Afghanistan, the Gulf War and even the Vietnam War all have had substantial impacts on our sporting leagues at home. In the United State’s political environment these wars are only fought with a strong political mandate. Thus, by using sports to promote a constructive patriotic movement, the government can fight

Sports we support, follow and play today are part of our day-to-day lives and we forget that over 250 years ago the sports established today did not yet exist and the few that did would be unappealing and unrecognisable to the sports fans of today. Looking back to the history of sports we see a story of evolution, starting off as physical activities for survival; man hunting for food and rowing for

Sports are an essential aspect of American society; they are indispensable when it comes to their impact in many public areas, including economics and the mass media. Sport coincides with community values and political agencies, as it attempts to define the morals and ethics attributed not only to athletes, but the totality of society. Fans of spectator sports find a reaffirmation of key societal values through sports, as they give meaning to their own lives. “By becoming fans, spectators engage in certain kinds of pleasures, fulfilling their own desires…” writes Brummett (21). The world of sports allows us the opportunity to gain vital insight into the sensitive issues of racism, sexism, and classism, but the implications of the attention we give them are alarming.

Eyes are glued to the scenes of a human body pushed to the limit. Powers clashing by the work of people who didn’t back down to get to where they want. Sports has been a culture for generations within America and has shaped how we think and act in our daily lives. Strangers come together to watch and relate to one another which creates a bond. Even the athletes that train as opponents respect each other and acknowledge the efforts that each individual puts in to succeed. This culture creates hard-working individuals, breaks down glass ceilings, and brings Americans together.