Posted on behalf of Kyle deManincor:
When Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy were on opposing sidelines in Super Bowl XLI, monumental steps were taken in the effort to end "blackness" in sports. It was a historic moment not only for African-Americans, but for sports as a whole. It was captured throughout the media as one of the finest moments in all of sports. In recent years though, the media has taken on almost a political role when it comes to blackness in sports.
According to Chapter 27 in The Handbook of Sports and Media, "...the spectacle of the Black athletic body has 'simultaneously diminished the space for progressive politics itself...it appears that we have moved from a position of black athletes embodying a politics of social transformation to politics itself being reduced to the bodies of individual athletes" (461). The media has lost sight of the black culture as a whole and re-focused on the talents of certain black individuals.The media has catered to the white-population through the use of black athletes who seem to influence the lives of so many through their charisma and wonder. "Michael Jordan's carefully engineered charismatic appeal...is a case of complicitious racial avoidance. Jordan's image was coveted by the media primarily because of its reassuring affinity with the affective investments associated with America's white-dominated national popular culture" (Raney and Bryant, 477). The media used Jordan as a way to market sports to the white-dominated culture. "...Michael Jordan self-consciously allowed himself to be whitened" (477). The same thing is going on with Tiger Woods and Golf.
In an article on yahoo sports, http://sports.yahoo.com/top/blog/roy_s_johnson/post/Mike-Tomlin-The-end-of-blackness-?urn=top,138325, "most of America looked at a black man and saw a coach, not a black coach. They saw a man." This is referring to Mike Tomlin after the Steelers won the Super Bowl. It's a great line, and it has to make one wonder, is blackness finally coming to an end in sports? Does the media avoid racial issues by spotlighting these great black athletes, such as Lebron James and Tiger Woods? Are there still these stereotypes about black athletes that the media just cant avoid? Either way, blackness in sports will only come to an end as long as the media allows it to.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Stereotyping of Athletes
If you’re a sports fan, you’ve heard this phrase: “A scrappy player.” A scrappy player could mean many things. In baseball, for example, it usually means someone who “plays the game the right way.” Recently, someone that fits that description is Red Sox 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia. Anytime he is being talked about, someone is there to say that he is a scrappy kid who plays the game the right way. Other baseball players that can be described as “scrappy” are Cubs shortstop Mike Fontenot and Padres shortstop turned second baseman David Eckstein. There is even an article on mlb.com that states “Mark Grudzielanek is the archetype of the scrappy middle infielder. The Royals second baseman will slap a ball up the middle, stand in stoutly making the double-play relay throw and explain himself and his team matter-of-factly before and after the game.” What do all these players have in common? They’re all white. In chapter 27 of the handbook, it is noted that “In contrast to Black athletes, who are frequently framed in terms of their physicality, White athletes are most often depicted as relying on intellectual means to achieve their sporting success” (453). As a baseball fan, when I hear the term scrappy, I think of just that, someone who may not have great athletic ability, but uses their head and their heart to succeed. Therefore, does calling Mark Grudzielanek “the archetype of the scrappy middle infielder” have racial undertones? You be the judge.
On the other side of the coin, we have the African-American athlete. A prime example of a player who has been touted for his athletic ability is Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes. ESPN’s Chris Jones even wrote a feature on Dukes for ESPN the Magazine. In talking to former teammate Ryan Knox, Jones was able to get an interesting quote. “Dukes also happens to be one of the best raw talents baseball people have seen on a diamond. In 2006, Baseball America ranked him the top pure athlete in the talent-rich Tampa Bay organization. ‘He's a freak, he's so good,’ even Knox admits.” There are a few words in this quote where some people might take issue. Raw, pure athlete, and freak aren’t necessarily associated with the typical baseball player. What’s even more curious about Elijah Dukes, is that he falls into a certain stereotype brought about by the media. “Both print and electronic portrayals stereotyped African-Americans as criminal, arrogant, unruly, undisciplined, and threatening” (455). As Jones notes in his article, “Dukes has been suspended at least once during each of his five professional seasons. In 2006, he was placed on indefinite suspension by Tampa Bay's Triple-A farm team, the Durham Bulls, after two violent confrontations.”
Obviously, this is a very small sample size. But it cannot be denied that the media treat Black and White athletes differently. What do you think has caused this discrepancy? Do you think it’s an insult for a player to be deemed scrappy? And finally, is Elijah Dukes only still in baseball because of his “pure” athletic ability? Would a player of less so-called “athletic ability” be out of baseball after all these off the field problems?
Detecting Racial Stereotypes in the Sports Media
According to Davis and Othello’s article Race and Ethnicity in US Sports Media, “a stereotype is a generalization about a category of people that is negative and/or misleading” (Wenner 157). Their discussion highlights existing stereotypes in the coverage of minority athletes and attempts to reveal the reasons why they remain. They point out that some critics believe the sport media contribute to the spread of racial stereotypes, and in a way, preserve them. What do you think?
“Rainville, Roberts and Sweet (1978) have suggested that the ‘practice of assigning white announcers exclusively to give the play-by-play in games which involve black and white players leads to a prejudicial treatment of the black players’ ” (Wenner 167). Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb agrees. In an interview on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” in the fall of 2007, he discussed the level of criticism he receives as an African-American quarterback and suggests that he must “do a little extra” since he is “graded more harshly.” The short article outlining McNabb’s thoughts can be found here: McNabb says black QBs under more pressure.
McNabb got a bit of flack for his comments and no longer remarks on the issues of race through a public forum such as the media. This shows an oppressiveness of sorts and promotes the “sweep it under the rug” mentality. Such action further exacerbates the problem, does it not?
Instances of racially-biased coverage have been reported before, but like the athlete’s concerns themselves, they are sometimes hard to uncover. Authors Grainger, Newman, and Andrews discuss in Chapter 27 of the Handbook of Sports and Media, the fact that “the increasing visibility of and coverage afforded African-American athletes” does not necessarily mean that there is a substantial “reduction of racism in the sport media” (Raney and Bryant 461). I don't know about you but I certainly agree.
In some cases it takes a program like “Costas Now” on HBO Sports to unveil the provocative topic of race in sports. The fifth segment of the April 29, 2008 episode dealt with how the issue of race impacts the sports world, and even that seemed uncomfortable. Coincidentally, Donovan McNabb was invited to appear on the show, but declined. So, if the athletes who experience the negativity and prejudice refuse to speak up, how is an ordinary citizen to feel at ease talking about such a touchy subject?
How do you feel about the state of the sports media with regard to race? Do you find it difficult to recognize racial bias or is it fairly black and white? What suggestions might you offer to improve the current coverage? Will we ever see an end to the issue?
“Rainville, Roberts and Sweet (1978) have suggested that the ‘practice of assigning white announcers exclusively to give the play-by-play in games which involve black and white players leads to a prejudicial treatment of the black players’ ” (Wenner 167). Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb agrees. In an interview on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” in the fall of 2007, he discussed the level of criticism he receives as an African-American quarterback and suggests that he must “do a little extra” since he is “graded more harshly.” The short article outlining McNabb’s thoughts can be found here: McNabb says black QBs under more pressure.
McNabb got a bit of flack for his comments and no longer remarks on the issues of race through a public forum such as the media. This shows an oppressiveness of sorts and promotes the “sweep it under the rug” mentality. Such action further exacerbates the problem, does it not?
Instances of racially-biased coverage have been reported before, but like the athlete’s concerns themselves, they are sometimes hard to uncover. Authors Grainger, Newman, and Andrews discuss in Chapter 27 of the Handbook of Sports and Media, the fact that “the increasing visibility of and coverage afforded African-American athletes” does not necessarily mean that there is a substantial “reduction of racism in the sport media” (Raney and Bryant 461). I don't know about you but I certainly agree.
In some cases it takes a program like “Costas Now” on HBO Sports to unveil the provocative topic of race in sports. The fifth segment of the April 29, 2008 episode dealt with how the issue of race impacts the sports world, and even that seemed uncomfortable. Coincidentally, Donovan McNabb was invited to appear on the show, but declined. So, if the athletes who experience the negativity and prejudice refuse to speak up, how is an ordinary citizen to feel at ease talking about such a touchy subject?
How do you feel about the state of the sports media with regard to race? Do you find it difficult to recognize racial bias or is it fairly black and white? What suggestions might you offer to improve the current coverage? Will we ever see an end to the issue?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
What is the definition of an African American Athlete?
There are many stereotypes about African-American Athletes. Growing up most little kids dreams are to be a professional athlete. I wonder why this is the case. In chapeter 21 in the handbook it says "The natural athlete myth suggests that african americans possess innate physiological advantages while conversely lacking the necessary skills and intelligence to succeed in other occupational areas" this is what is portrayed and comprehended by african american youth so why not want to become a professional athlete as players like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson have paved the way and proved this to be wrong as they succeeded on and off the court.
In chapter 21 in the handbook it also talks about how "the possibility of a professional sports career for African Americans (and African-American male youth in particular), as an escape from poverty and a means to circumvent the racial discrimination in many other occupations" african american athletes have overcome a lot from being discriminated against because of there skin color. African American Athletes use their talent as a tool to get an education and open up doors of opportunities they might not have had if it was not for playing some type of sport.
It says in the handbook "the deviance of African-American athletes is often linked to stereotypes of single-parent famililes, welfare dependency, drugs, and crime" this is why african-american athlets work so hard to succeed so that if there family is in this situation, they can some day be able to provide and put them in a much better situation.
Will the stereotypes of the African American Athletes ever end? It has gotten better from where it was about 50 years ago but still has room for improvement. African Americans should not have to succeed in a sport to get treated equally in life. What do you think that status of the african-american athlete will be in 20 years. Do you think these stereotypes will still exist?
In chapter 21 in the handbook it also talks about how "the possibility of a professional sports career for African Americans (and African-American male youth in particular), as an escape from poverty and a means to circumvent the racial discrimination in many other occupations" african american athletes have overcome a lot from being discriminated against because of there skin color. African American Athletes use their talent as a tool to get an education and open up doors of opportunities they might not have had if it was not for playing some type of sport.
It says in the handbook "the deviance of African-American athletes is often linked to stereotypes of single-parent famililes, welfare dependency, drugs, and crime" this is why african-american athlets work so hard to succeed so that if there family is in this situation, they can some day be able to provide and put them in a much better situation.
Will the stereotypes of the African American Athletes ever end? It has gotten better from where it was about 50 years ago but still has room for improvement. African Americans should not have to succeed in a sport to get treated equally in life. What do you think that status of the african-american athlete will be in 20 years. Do you think these stereotypes will still exist?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Definition of a True Sports Fan
Posted on behalf of Andrew Spero:
Many people are quick to pronounce themselves as “diehard sports fans” who live and die with their favorite teams. But I feel there should be some validity behind such a bold statement and the designation of being a true sports fan should come with some defined qualifications.
First of all a casual fan is nothing more than just that and is definitely not to be confused with a true sports fan. They watch their favorite team’s games when it conveniently fits their schedule or when a social gathering revolves around it. They cannot name their team’s starting second basemen or manager for that matter and do not start following the team on a consistent basis until the playoffs start (like many Yankee fans I know).
A true or diehard fan of a team, in my opinion, is someone who is emotionally attached to their particular team and watches every game during the season unless they have a legitimate reason not to do so (i.e. class, work, etc.) in which TiVo and DVR come in handy. They must be very familiar with the players on their team as well as knowing their strengths and weaknesses on the field. Bill Simmons who writes a very popular sports blog for ESPN has his own list of qualifications and characteristics that make up a “true sports fan” in his opinion. http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020227
I have to say that I full heartedly agree with many of the guidelines that he talks about of a true fan. One of my favorites and one that I sternly believe in is once you choose a team you are stuck with that team for the rest of your life, through the good times and the bad. Even though I am a Yankees fan myself I have no respect and do not take Yankee fans seriously who admit that they used to be Mets fan but switched somewhere along the line (I’m thinking this switch took place somewhere during the late 90’s). These people are nothing more than frontrunners and do not deserve to be classified as Yankee fans. This may come off as harsh but like I said not everyone can be classified as a true sports fan. How do you feel about some of these rules and guidelines and do you agree with them?
Another quality of a true fan is the unmistakable pit in your stomach that fans endure after their team experiences a bad loss or worse yet being eliminated from the playoffs. Raney and Bryant in the Sports Handbook talk about the casual fan or “low-identified fan” does not have to worry about feeling these emotions. “Because the identity of these fans is not in jeopardy when the team competes, they tend not to experience negative emotional consequences of poor team performance. As a result, they have little need to cope with a loss” (343). For example a casual New York Giants fan can watch the Giants suffer an incredibly tough and heartbreaking loss to their archrival Cowboys and then after the game go out to the mall and hang out with their friends and be more or less unaffected. A true fan such as myself could never do that after a loss of that nature and this is why Raney and Bryant list a couple of coping strategies that many “high-identified fans” use in these cases.
Some of these strategies I agree with and do myself while others I do not find affective at all. One coping strategy from the Handbook that I readily agree with is as follows, “One way for highly identified fans to cope with a team’s loss, particularly a season ending defeat, is to shift their focus from the losing team to another team” (345). For example when the Yankees are eliminated from the playoffs I immediately start focusing more on the Jets season and look forward to the upcoming New York Rangers and Knicks seasons. The pain of the failed season is still there but at least I have three other teams to have “hope in” and distract my attention. For the big sports fans, do you use any of these strategies and if so which are your favorite?
Many people are quick to pronounce themselves as “diehard sports fans” who live and die with their favorite teams. But I feel there should be some validity behind such a bold statement and the designation of being a true sports fan should come with some defined qualifications.
First of all a casual fan is nothing more than just that and is definitely not to be confused with a true sports fan. They watch their favorite team’s games when it conveniently fits their schedule or when a social gathering revolves around it. They cannot name their team’s starting second basemen or manager for that matter and do not start following the team on a consistent basis until the playoffs start (like many Yankee fans I know).
A true or diehard fan of a team, in my opinion, is someone who is emotionally attached to their particular team and watches every game during the season unless they have a legitimate reason not to do so (i.e. class, work, etc.) in which TiVo and DVR come in handy. They must be very familiar with the players on their team as well as knowing their strengths and weaknesses on the field. Bill Simmons who writes a very popular sports blog for ESPN has his own list of qualifications and characteristics that make up a “true sports fan” in his opinion. http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020227
I have to say that I full heartedly agree with many of the guidelines that he talks about of a true fan. One of my favorites and one that I sternly believe in is once you choose a team you are stuck with that team for the rest of your life, through the good times and the bad. Even though I am a Yankees fan myself I have no respect and do not take Yankee fans seriously who admit that they used to be Mets fan but switched somewhere along the line (I’m thinking this switch took place somewhere during the late 90’s). These people are nothing more than frontrunners and do not deserve to be classified as Yankee fans. This may come off as harsh but like I said not everyone can be classified as a true sports fan. How do you feel about some of these rules and guidelines and do you agree with them?
Another quality of a true fan is the unmistakable pit in your stomach that fans endure after their team experiences a bad loss or worse yet being eliminated from the playoffs. Raney and Bryant in the Sports Handbook talk about the casual fan or “low-identified fan” does not have to worry about feeling these emotions. “Because the identity of these fans is not in jeopardy when the team competes, they tend not to experience negative emotional consequences of poor team performance. As a result, they have little need to cope with a loss” (343). For example a casual New York Giants fan can watch the Giants suffer an incredibly tough and heartbreaking loss to their archrival Cowboys and then after the game go out to the mall and hang out with their friends and be more or less unaffected. A true fan such as myself could never do that after a loss of that nature and this is why Raney and Bryant list a couple of coping strategies that many “high-identified fans” use in these cases.
Some of these strategies I agree with and do myself while others I do not find affective at all. One coping strategy from the Handbook that I readily agree with is as follows, “One way for highly identified fans to cope with a team’s loss, particularly a season ending defeat, is to shift their focus from the losing team to another team” (345). For example when the Yankees are eliminated from the playoffs I immediately start focusing more on the Jets season and look forward to the upcoming New York Rangers and Knicks seasons. The pain of the failed season is still there but at least I have three other teams to have “hope in” and distract my attention. For the big sports fans, do you use any of these strategies and if so which are your favorite?
Sports as an escape
As a die-hard fan for years, it wasn't until this past summer that I finally understood sports as an "escape."
In the Handbook of Sports and Media, Arthur Raney points out that one of the main emotional motivations for viewing sports is to escape. "For decades, persons of all ages have reported seeking out media content to help escape from the stress of daily living. Sports fans are no different. ... It has also been discussed in relation to boredom." (Raney, p. 319-320)
Last summer, my weekdays began at six a.m. and would find me riding a train five hours a day. Never was I more tied to my AM radio to catch baseball games on the ride home, or more excited to plop down in front of a television to watch a night game before heading to bed and starting the whole thing over again. Baseball, among other sports, was my escape.
I could forget about life, about work, about whatever was going on to enjoy a simple game of a ball, a bat and some leather gloves.
"Wann and Rochelle found that nearly two in five sports fans report regularly tune in to sports on televisions to escape boredom." (Raney, p. 320)
One man is small peanuts though. While reading this portion of the text, I was reminded of an event from a few years back.
During the World Cup (the every four year soccer world wide tournament, for those non-fans), the war torn country of the Ivory Coast experienced something special during their countries games. The country, in midst of a civil war, saw many soldiers putting down their weapons and calling a cease fire to enjoy the game.
From MSNBC.com:
Sports, however interesting or exciting, can work beyond just the players on the field. For many fans, it is their way to forget about life for a while and simply enjoy a game.
In the Handbook of Sports and Media, Arthur Raney points out that one of the main emotional motivations for viewing sports is to escape. "For decades, persons of all ages have reported seeking out media content to help escape from the stress of daily living. Sports fans are no different. ... It has also been discussed in relation to boredom." (Raney, p. 319-320)
Last summer, my weekdays began at six a.m. and would find me riding a train five hours a day. Never was I more tied to my AM radio to catch baseball games on the ride home, or more excited to plop down in front of a television to watch a night game before heading to bed and starting the whole thing over again. Baseball, among other sports, was my escape.
I could forget about life, about work, about whatever was going on to enjoy a simple game of a ball, a bat and some leather gloves.
"Wann and Rochelle found that nearly two in five sports fans report regularly tune in to sports on televisions to escape boredom." (Raney, p. 320)
One man is small peanuts though. While reading this portion of the text, I was reminded of an event from a few years back.
During the World Cup (the every four year soccer world wide tournament, for those non-fans), the war torn country of the Ivory Coast experienced something special during their countries games. The country, in midst of a civil war, saw many soldiers putting down their weapons and calling a cease fire to enjoy the game.
From MSNBC.com:
The joyous shouts of “Voilà! and Allez-y!” from the crowd gathered at the Ivoire Restaurant on Saturday turned to sad groans as Ivory Coast lost its first World Cup match against Argentina.For a game to stop a civil war in it's tracks -- if only for a few hours -- for 11 men on a pitch thousands of miles away to make fighters put down their guns and ammo to enjoy a team representing their country as a whole, that is something truly special.But the 2-1 result in the first match of super-tough Group C, described by some sports commentators as the "group of death," is unlikely to dampen the spirits of soccer supporters from this war-torn nation — fans who have become united by their first chance to compete on soccer’s international world stage.
Divided by a north-south civil war since 2002, the national team, known as the Elephants, is made up of a mix of players from different ethnic and religious groups. With all eyes on the World Cup, the team has bonded the country, with the various factions putting down their weapons and respecting a cease-fire.
---
Drogba, the Elephant's captain, has made a point of saying that the team is a symbol of tolerance and a reflection of how the country was in the past: a diverse ethnic group forming one national identity.
According to news reports, after the team's decisive win over Sudan that guaranteed their place in the World Cup, Drogba led his team in a plea for peace.
"Ivorians, we ask for your forgiveness," they said. "Let us come together and put this war behind us."
Sports, however interesting or exciting, can work beyond just the players on the field. For many fans, it is their way to forget about life for a while and simply enjoy a game.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Deep Roots of Fandom
In May 2008 in Nashua, N.H. witnesses say a Red Sox-Yankees argument in a bar led to taunting in the parking lot, and then to murder. The argument started in a Nashua bar when Ivonne Hernandez announced that she was a Yankees fan. The argument spilled into the parking lot, where Red Sox fans chanted “Yankees Suck” upon seeing a Yankees sticker on her car. An article on FoxNews.com (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354187,00.html) reports that Hernandez allegedly gunned her car in the parking lot, striking two of the people taunting her. One of them, Maria Hughes, suffered internal injuries while the other, Matthew Beaudoin suffered serious head and brain injuries. Beaudoin died that night.
While this is a very extreme and violent case, it’s also clear that the intensity of team fanship and loyalty is incredibly strong. Hopefully sports arguments will never be taken this far again. How did the argument get so out of hand? Arthur Raney describes the deep roots of fanship and where they begin.
In the Handbook of Sports and Media, Raney discusses why he thinks people become fans of certain teams. Raney explains that people “form allegiances toward specific teams for various reasons, such as geography, allegiances held by respected family members and friends, team colors, specific players, styles and strategies of play, and perceived popularity among the masses” (Raney & Bryant; 315). Which of these reasons do you identify with in supporting your favorite teams?
Because of Quinnipiac’s unique location, it often feels like we are a student body made up of two kinds of people; those who support the Yankees and those who support the Red Sox. Even if you couldn’t care less about that rivalry, there must be some team out there that you love! Here’s your chance to explain why you support your favorite teams (professional or not). Analyze when your allegiance began, and what/who influenced your choices. How do you show your loyalty?
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