Hiding In The Closet

In Tuesday's class we discussed the topic homosexuality. We talked about if it was a good thing for players who are homosexual to come out of the closet during their playing career. Most homosexual athletes are too scared to publicly confess their sexuality and often wait until their playing career is over. My firm belief on sexuality has always been to be honest and express yourself. I believe athlete or not, if you are homosexual you shouldn't be afraid to let everyone know it because that is who you are. When it comes to sports however I have a different opinion. I believe if you are a professional athlete it may not be the best idea to come out of the closet. With all the media attention surrounding sports today it would just become a huge distraction and controversy for the player and the team. I believe this can be a huge distraction for a team because of homosexual males are looked at in the sports community, and could make things awkward in the locker room and off the court. When baseball and football were polled about homosexuality only one team responded and gave their input. Former NBA player John Amaechi came out of the closet following his playing career which promoted criticism with some saying that was a cowardly act. Another former NBA player Tim Hardaway hit headlines when he commented on the issue by saying he "hates" gay people. Shaq however said he would protect Amaechi if he were on his team from outsiders. A statement that bothered me was how in class we talked about how many athletes believe being gay is worse than being a felon. That is an awful thing to say because someones sexuality shouldn't matter, and has nothing to do with being a felon. Breaking the law is one thing but your sexuality is another. I believe athletes need to accept homosexual teammates like the Corey Johnson situation is Massachusetts. It is embarrassing that Mike Piazza needed to call a press conferene to shoot down rumors he gay. The world of sports and athletes need to accept the fact that there are homosexual athletes all around them, just "Hiding In The Closet".

Hegemonic Masculinity

One topic we discussed in class that caught my attention was hegemonic masculinity. I really enjoyed the activity when we went through the fitness magazines. I agree that it is important to get plenty of physical exercise but when does the line get crossed? In society today women prefer men that are toned or ripped. I just think these magazines that are meant to help men get fit are completely ridiculous. To achieve results of masculinity seen in these magazines numerous supplements are required or even steroids. It is not natural for somebody to be as big as men in these magazines. If you go to the rec center and see people who have huge muscles they tend to have a lot of acne and stretch marks over their body. This is a common sign of steroid use or working out too much. I believe society has built this image of Hegemonic Masculinity that a man is supposed to look like and it isn't realistic. A man should still be considered inferior if they are in shape and work out. You shouldn't have to have muscles bulging out of your shirt to be considered inferior. Since muscles are such a sign of dominance there will never be a limit to how big someone should get which will cause many people to take steroids and other supplements that will eventually hurt their bodies.

Boys and Girls

One topic we covered this semester is the debate should girls be able to play with boys when it comes to sports. I hate to be sexist but I truly believe for the benefits of all parties girls should NOT be able to play with boys in sports. A good example I have experienced personally is playing basketball at the rec center. Whenever a girl is playing with the men it is obvious that the game takes on less meaning and less effort is made by the men. If a man goes to steal the ball or block a girl it is considered a cowardly act and other male players will even laugh. This is why in recreational sports there is a men's league and co-ed league. In flag football at the University of Bowling Green the mens flag football division is considered competitive, while the co-ed league is considered just for fun. I just think girls will get hurt or discriminated if they play with boys. There was a case at the University of Colorado that a girl kicker on the football team was sexually harassed and discriminated against. I just think men are a lot more competitive and rough than girls. I believe girls can be good at sports and competitive but it it just a different level. Boys should play with boys, and girls should play with girls.

Asianization of America

After discussing the Asianization of America in class I realized how much Asian influence their is in our society today. Many Asian influences exist outside the sports would such as Toyota, Honda, Chinese food, and karate. The sports world over the past few years has also seen Asian influence. Yao Ming is one of the most recognizable NBA players in the world and is one of the best big men in the game. Ming's success in the NBA has opened the door for other Asians to come to the NBA. In baseball many successful players are Asian including Ichiro Suzuki, Hideo Nomo, and the 2009 MLB World Series MVP Hideki Matsui. Another trend starting to develop is many baseball teams trying to sign players from Japan and paying hefty fees to negotiate contracts with them. An example of this is the Boston Red Sox signing pitcher Daisuka Matsusaka because they outbid teams to negotiate with him. To say the least there is starting to become a trend of Asianization in sports. Another topic that caught my interest was how the LPGA is forcing Korean player who can't speak English to speak English. There are two sides to this debate. I agree with the decision because if Korean players are earning money and playing the sport in America they should be able to speak English. The other side to this is American players who speak English should be able to speak other languages when necessary as well. Either way their is great Asian influence not only in our society but in sports.

Playing Rough

After recently watching this sports clip at home and in my sports classes, I simply have never seen anything like it. New Mexico Women's Soccer player Elizabeth Lambert looked more like Mike Tyson during her teams 1-0 loss to BYU University. Lambert repeatedly throughout the game for no reason exerted unnecessary physical violence to opposing players on the BYU Women's team. Lambert was seen kicking, tripping, elbowing, and even throwing her opponents down by their hair. Lambert has since been suspended for the season. I believe that this incident should have prompted further discipline. I think Lambert should be permanently banned from NCAA sports and kicked out of her University. Lambert has apologized for her actions but how can one apology make up for so many mistakes made by Lambert during one game. The question I want to know is how long has this been going on? There is no way Elizabeth Lambert just displayed this kind of behavior in only one game. A similar incident happened with Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount when he punched a Boise State player after their loss during the opening week of the season. Blount was suspended the entire season, but recently was reinstated. Blount was provoked by the player he punched and committed far less violence than Lambert. The media gave the Oregon running backs incident much more attention. I believe Lambert's act was far more vicious but since she is a girl in an irrelevant sport the media didn't care as much. Lamberts acts definitely deserve more punishment.

What was Bud Adams thinking?

I know this is a little off topic, but I wanted to address Sundays incident with Bud Adams. Bud Adams is the 86 year old owner of the Tennessee Titans. After the game Bud Adams was seen giving the Buffalo Bills fans the middle finger repeatedly. The Titans won the game in a blowout fashion. I think Adams behavior was completely unnecessary. If you are an owner in the NFL, that behavior is unacceptable because you must be a good role model and show a sense of professionalism. The funny part about the incident is NFL commissioner Roger Godell was present at the game and in Mr. Adams suite the first half of the game. The NFL has since charged Adams $250,000.00. I'm happy about the fine but I am wondering if this were a different owner if the media attention would be different. The media (ESPN) has given this topic attention, but I believe if an owner such as Jerry Jones or Marc Cuban would have committed these same actions the media would have been much more harsh. I think because of Bud Adams age the media treated this as a comedic story. I think it shouldn't matter how old you are, if you own a professional sports team you should have a sense of professionalism, respect the game, and have the same consequences as any other owner.