equal rights for L.G.B.T.” revolution

While 70% of the NFL players having African-American descent, there’s a difference between journalist and sports reporters, with 80% of the radio and TV broadcasters being White and 9% being Black. These articles, The Experience of Media and Race in the National Football League – An Existential Phenomenological Study (Fisher 2008), Depicting the Quarterback in Black and White: A Content Analysis of College and Professional Football Broadcast Commentary (Billings 2004), and Race and ethnicity in U.S. sports media (Davis & Harris 1998) examined the connections between Black NFL players and experienced media reporters. The data was recorded and studied, and main themes were acknowledged. The athletes report themes of: (1) the players’ view of how media coverage affects the NFL players, (2) the players’ perceptions of media personnel, and (3) the athletes’ perception of black quarterbacks. The study of the experienced media reporters’ meetings uncovers three major themes: (1) perceptions of how the media cover the NFL, (2) interrelationships with NFL players, and (3) playing quarterback in the NFL.

Career achievements need to be based on professional conduct and milestones covered. However, the big sports associations such as Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) tend to factor in other principles as well (Withers 147). For these leagues, certain behaviors off the field are keen indicators that determine how a player is viewed. With such efforts, these leagues aim to maintain a standard that professional athletes can use to guide their lives. However, there are questions that linger regarding the forms of conduct that are deemed to be unworthy of these athletes. The question is also posed to the wider society since these professionals are a part of it (Schrotenboer

Up until recently a person could not be gay in the military. Homosexuals were honorably discharged from the military. In 1993 President Clinton attempted to change this tradition. He received much opposition from politicians, citizens and the military. The result was a compromise, a don't ask, don't tell rule. This meant that the military personal was not to inquire about sexual preference, and that service members were not to be blatant about their sexual orientation. Another macho activity is sports. Gay men in sport have not been accepted. " There is much at stake in maintaining the silence about gay men in sports and in discouraging gay male athletes from revealing their identities"(Coakley 234). To even talk about homosexuals in sports would threaten the system of gender classification. The fact is though there are homosexuals in sports and they are discriminated against. In the locker room athletes use anti- gay banter as part of daily life. Homosexuals in sports live in fear of the truth about their sexuality coming out. Although recently studies have shown that organized sports are becoming less homophobic. People in sports are becoming more tolerant of homosexuals. But the value of a homosexual athlete is of core importance. " Gay athletes with high human capital are much more likely to come out of the closet to their teams than are gay athletes with medium or low human capital"(Anderson 12). As homosexuals are slowly accepted

Athletics in America has gone from being one of our greatest past times, to an epidemic that engulfs greed, selfishness, and sets a bad example for our society. We are given bad examples as a society to follow. Deemed by his horrid Super Bowl performance, Cam Newton, one of the most predominate and controversial quarterbacks in today’s society has been criticized time and again for they way he carries himself on and off the field. His most recent stint has brought a great deal of negativity to the sports world. There is hope, though. Most famously known in the media as the fiancé of Ciera, one of the world’s most musically influential and imaged based celebrity, right under Beyoncé. His stats on the field compared to Cam Newton are immensely

Football is probably the most hyper masculine sports someone can be involved in. However, just Michael Sam’s being out is so helpful in taking apart the ignorance around homophobic stereotypes. It goes to show, a broader aspect

One of America’s favorite pastimes is (American) football. The bonding that football brings to families from all different backgrounds is truly amazing. Hollywood also has its own obsession with football. Hollywood tends to sensationalize the “masculine” aspects of the sport, even if the real life story is different. In this analysis, I will focus on the “real life” movies Remember the Titans, The Blind Side, and Rudy. Each of these movies tackle different issues that many men face. Each movie has examples of a certain type of masculine ideal, and how each character portrays their masculinity, women included.

Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others. Racism occurs much more than we like to admit. In sports, racism is happening more often and becoming a much bigger problem. Most agree that sports are a reflection of society. What this means is that sports often act as a small-scale version of society and thus, racial problems in sports have been, and continue to be, brushed away as nothing unique. It takes outrageous conduct for the reality of racism in sports to come to the forefront. When comparing a minority athlete to a non-minority athlete, we can see they both are victims of discrimination because of their race. However, the type of discrimination is very different, and the effects are very different. To a lot of people, the sports world is a place in which none of the normal problems of the “real” world could possibly exist. Racism has had an impact on student athletes of all ages and race, in both their personal life and outside their personal life. The racism that some American minority and non-minority student athletes face has long-running effects on the athletes’ education and career opportunities. The racial issues in sports can be addressed better when exposed and talked about.

By observing the New York Times writing patterns within their sports section, not only did the news promote heteronormative gender roles, but it also intensified white male privilege. Although we have acts to “protect” American citizens of color, these government attempts to dismantle racism and discrimination in America can only do so much. Many of the pieces that the New York Times posted oftentimes segregated black and white players by publishing separate articles and pictures according to the color of their skin. In America, many of our sports teams are composed of the black community. It is not uncommon for many sport business enterprises to exploit black athletes for profit (Anderson 1995). Many individuals who own sports teams, coaches, and administrators are predominately white and continue to earn billions in revenue from television and games (Farrington & Kilvington, 2012). We can see this exploitation occurring in NCAA college sports where these universities are composed of mostly white students but the sports teams recruit mostly black team mates (Anderson 1995). As a result, many of these students continuously practice and sacrifice their time to put towards their studies for an athletic career. Although many of these college players are valued for their physical strength and contributing victories to their school’s name, they still face harassment, discrimination, and segregation (Anderson 1995). This argument can be supported by one of the articles that The

65% of NFL players are African American. Hines Ward is also included in the percentage, but he is a special one as an African American but also as a Korean African football player. When most people think of Hines Ward, they think of an Asian-African American football superstar. Despite Ward’s success in football career must be emphasized, it’s not the outcome they should most respect, but the process and how he became a star. Racism in America still exists in everyday life. Even among black people, racism does exist. Hines Ward was a victim of racism in all white, Asian and black communities. While a few prejudices still stands against black people already, Ward had to endure the difference of his genetic mixture from his fellow African American friends. However what is more important than being bashed on for life about color is the fact that he overcame and became a symbolic and representative person for others who have impediments in life due to racial difference. There’s an old saying “Don't judge a man until you've walked in his boots,” and Hines Ward reveals the truth in this saying through his experiences in life as a lonely Asian, African American. His generosity with donations and endeavors to reach out for kids who are in similar situation as he used to be should also be emphasized throughout this paper.

Obviously I was aware of the Michael Vick dogfighting case beforehand, but after analyzing this article and understanding the full details of the story, it solidified my desire to pursue a career in journalism. Michael Vick was one of my childhood heroes and I was devastated when the news broke. He was a rising young star in the NFL who had gathered quite a following, myself included. Naturally, I was extremely interested in this highly controversial topic. Not

According to ESPN, 49% of Americans claim to be fans of professional football based on an Associated Press poll, a decrease from the 56% who claimed to be fans in the previous year. The NFL is deemed as the most popular sports league in the United States drawing in the highest TV ratings by far. While conducting research, we are looking at the increase of viewership during National Football League season while players face scandals in their personal lives. There has been a growing trend within the NFL of scandals surrounding domestic abuse, drug-related problems, and drunk driving incidents. In today’s society people are drawn to news surrounding celebrities and professional athletes so these scandals have created ample hype. We believe that

Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman was tested positive for steroid use setting all new grounds for the NFL. When both his samples came back positive the NFL had to do something. Thanks to merriman it was made that all who fail a test will not be allowed to participate in the Pro Bowl. This was a new and large punishment for all players who were to fail off almost any drug was punishable. Merriman was a young 22 year old rookie linebacker with an already impressive career going for him. With fiftytwo tackles and an impressive ten sacks under his belt already. Also finishing with five passes defended and two forced fumbles he was doing great. In just six games he was second on the careers with only 5 ½ stacks. He was given the nickname

The dark side of football communicates racism and violence among players in the United States. In Steve Almond’s The Blind Spot section, Almond tells us about how African- American boys are treated in the football world. These boys are facing the harsh reality of living in a judgmental society where their qualities and intelligence are not recognized. However, their physical strengths and distressing events are what fans and coaches want to see from them in each game. Whatever the football players’ ethnic origins, no one can deny that they are exposed to sacrifice their bodies and put in risk their lives. Supporting this point, Almond points his curiosity about a group of young boys who come from an underprivileged community,

Considering these ways in which the process of identification functions, we can apply these ideas to the NFL controversy from a number of perspectives. To begin, Burke’s definition of identification has helped NFL players identify

Whereas Tim was scrutinized for his praying before and after games, and thankfulness of god in his interviews. Jason Collins received a more open arms treatment when in 2013 he nationally came out at the national level in being the first gay NBA player. It goes back to how if this all were to happen fifteen, or twenty years ago, the way these stories were treated by society, and the news portrayed them it would be the complete opposite. This is a turning point for all major sports, all professional sports are now promoting all kinds of sexual preference are welcome or “If you can play, you can play” slogan. (YouCanPlayProject) It has become very evident of how the world is trying to take a pivotal stand in people’s views on their moral rights and beliefs. In terms of controlling us through news and media, by who is socially accepted based on their views and path they choose in life. In essence, the image is saying no to a once rightfully accepted practice, to now saying yes to a subject that was