Wow, have these last 16 weeks flown by! Before this course, I have never composed, or even followed a blog before. I have enjoyed writing on various topics discussed in class, as it is a way to reflect on the material and other issues going on in the world of sport. This class has really been an eye-opening experience on the way that sport has a global impact.
I specifically enjoyed the two faculty guest speakers (Dr. Meeks (England) and Dr. Cho (South Korea). Their presentations made me become open minded and realize that Americans are not the only crazed fans in the world, and that we often connect cultures to different sports without even realizing it. Dr. Meeks made me aware of hooliganism, which was very hard to believe that it occured in the late 20th/early 21st century. Wiebe was a great addition to class, as it was very interesting to hear what the sport culture is like over in the Netherlands. Earlier in the semester, he had mentioned that Europeans are a lot more open-minded of other cultures, as compared to Americans. After hearing this, I totally realized that this is very true. Bottom line, this couse has made me come to grips that Americans are not the most passionate fans, and that we often label each country to a dominant sport, and do not realize that they can be fans of many sports.
I loved the class atmosphere, as it was very freely open to class discussion, and boy did we have some opinionated ones haha! Nonetheless, the class material covered a broad spectrum, which made it easy to hold discussions, while learning from different classmates experiences/opinions. Although it is reality, I found it interesting to hear about the hardships that women coaches have to overcome in order to be considered credible. Another memorable discussion that I enjoyed was the culture behind European soccer (besides the hooliganism). Before the class, I had just thought that soccer was to Europe, as NFL is to America. However, I believe soccer is a "way of life", whereas, the NFL is a leisure activity that fans watch for entertainment purposes.
To sum up my unorganized babbling in this conclusion blog, this class opened my eyes to the sport culture around the world. There is much more to sports than what we just see and hear from ESPN. Passionate fans can live at any corner of the globe, whether we like to think so or not! I really enjoyed the material in this class, as it has sparked my interest in a part of the sporting world that I didnt even know existed.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Paralympics and Disabled Athletes
Before our class discussion on disabled athletes, I had a very wrong outlook on the paralympics. I had the image that it was a friendly global competition between disabled people to make them feel "athletic", which would boost their confidence. I figured that all the competitors in the paralympics were confined to a wheel chair, and played these "friendly" games with one another because it was a way to play sports while being on an equal playing field because of their disabilities. However, as I have looked into it more, disabled athletes competing in the olympics range from being blind, deaf, missing limb(s), walking/running with limps, etc. Also, these games are FAR FROM friendly competition. These are elite athletes who have taken what they have been given and trained just as hard and tedious as any elite olympian. The paralympians put 110% effort towards their competition in order to earn the national pride of winning a medal for their country. Just like the olympics, paralympians must qualify for these prestigious games, as they are not just a "come one, come all" athletic event, as I had thought in the past. To put in perspective just how talented and athletic these paralympians are, double amputee Oscar Pistorius from South Africa ran 45.39 in the 400 meter dash, whereas the average olympic qualifyer runs 45-46 seconds. Therefore, Pistorius has recently made strides (no pun intended) in competing with able bodied athletes, and wants to compete in upcoming able bodied olympics. Here is a short video on Oscar's performance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3M9cdo-eYI&feature=related
Oscar is just one paralympian out of thousands who truely have an athletic talent. They train just as hard (if not harder, due to the fact they need to make up for their disability) as an olympian. As shown from the above picture, many disabled athletes have just as much (if not more) talent and strength than an abled bodied athlete. They definitely need more credit from society and really hope to see the paralympics televised some day, as this really opened my eyes to the elite level of competition in disabled athletes.
Oscar is just one paralympian out of thousands who truely have an athletic talent. They train just as hard (if not harder, due to the fact they need to make up for their disability) as an olympian. As shown from the above picture, many disabled athletes have just as much (if not more) talent and strength than an abled bodied athlete. They definitely need more credit from society and really hope to see the paralympics televised some day, as this really opened my eyes to the elite level of competition in disabled athletes.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Vying for the Olympics really worth it?
A few weeks ago, we had discussed the top layer of a lengthy process that cities/countries go through in order to vie for an olympic bid. Although the prestigious athletic event is an honor to hold and showcases unique aspects of the home country's culture, the abundance of resources and money spent to even be a candidate in the running is well into the millions even before a brick is layed.
As you may know, Chicago recently bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic games. After the three year marketing push, Chicago lost the bid to Rio. However, this does not mean that the tax payers and organizations were spared the millions of dollars that it takes to host such a extravagant event. According to chicagobid.org, over $50 million was spent on marketing the eventual failed bid. CNN Financial analysts estimated that if Chicago would have won the bid, they would have invested an additional $3.8 billion to add to the cities infrastructures, transportation, etc. As this may seem like a big number, the amount can easily increase from city to city depending on what facilities the location already has built to offer. Beijing spent over $40 billion in order to build its eyepopping venues such as the birds nest (which is currently used only 1-2 times a year).
Although many may say that the olympics adds local economic growth to small businesses and the surrounding area, I find it hard to believe that truthfully much profit can be generated due to the exponential amount of money committees are putting in the event. Upon researching for this blog, I was shocked to see how much money is risked just to bid for the event. It is hard to swallow, in today's down grading economy, that $50 million was wasted to promote an event that never will exist.
As you may know, Chicago recently bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic games. After the three year marketing push, Chicago lost the bid to Rio. However, this does not mean that the tax payers and organizations were spared the millions of dollars that it takes to host such a extravagant event. According to chicagobid.org, over $50 million was spent on marketing the eventual failed bid. CNN Financial analysts estimated that if Chicago would have won the bid, they would have invested an additional $3.8 billion to add to the cities infrastructures, transportation, etc. As this may seem like a big number, the amount can easily increase from city to city depending on what facilities the location already has built to offer. Beijing spent over $40 billion in order to build its eyepopping venues such as the birds nest (which is currently used only 1-2 times a year).
Although many may say that the olympics adds local economic growth to small businesses and the surrounding area, I find it hard to believe that truthfully much profit can be generated due to the exponential amount of money committees are putting in the event. Upon researching for this blog, I was shocked to see how much money is risked just to bid for the event. It is hard to swallow, in today's down grading economy, that $50 million was wasted to promote an event that never will exist.
Monday, November 28, 2011
NBA Lockout effect on the globalization of Basketball
Until recently, the idea of an NBA season this year was very unpromising. Just a few days ago, a proposed deal was reported that the players union and the administration agreed on the season starting christmas day. Although this is not a definite deal (to my knowledge), it has sparked hype about the season and gave NBA enthusiasts something to look forward to. Prior to this promising deal, I started to think about the future of the NBA players if they did not have a season here in the United States. If big name players such as Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James were to "take their talents" to other parts of the world, would this globalize the sport of basketball at an exponential rate? I believe if big marketed players were to play on teams oversees, there would be no doubt about the increase in population of the sport in other countries. This would give Europeans/Asians the opportunity to see elite talent in person in their own backyard for a fraction of the price that is charged in the NBA. Not to mention, many players would have no choice but to reside in the country in which they are playing, which would increase tabloid coverage, which in return would increase popularity. Although NBA players would have not been forced to play somewhere during the lockout, I believe many of them would choose to do so in order to stay in shape and play the game they love in order to prepare for upcoming seasons. However, now as it looks as if the lockout will finally come to a close, the opportunity of globalizing the sport exponentially is looking as it is slipping away for now.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Disembarkment of Icons- Gretzky and Beckham
The last two classes were held online via blackboard, with the topics of discussion including Wayne Gretzky and David Beckham leaving their home countries to play sports in the United States. I found it very interesting to learn how much of a gut-wrenching and heart-breaking event the Gretzky trade was in 1988. As one of the few canadian teams in the NHL, Edmonton had become head over heals for Canada Native and superstar Wayne Gretzky. In fact, the whole country flourished with his success on the ice and felt a sense of pride that "one of their own" played at such an exponential level from his competitors. After breaking numerous NHL Records and winning 4 Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, Canadians were heart broken to learn that Gretzky was to be traded to an American NHL team, the Los Angeles Kings. This trade could be in comparison with the more current Lebron James migration to Miami, however, Gretzky was seen as more of a victim and praised for his accomplishments.
At the time of the trade, David Beckham was one of the most household soccer names in the world. He was a very good looking and physically appealing male athlete with a celebrity spouse (former spice girl {popular American vocal group in 90's}). These attributes made him a very popular star to recognize by name and face, even in the United States where soccer was not flourishing. Therefore, I believe the MLS picked up David Beckham in order to try and increase interest in the sport. At first, there was a lot of media hype and brief coverage of LA Galaxy news. However, the hype wore off quickly, due to Beckham being injured and not able to play when he came to LA. In my opinion, this put a huge damper on what could have been a deciding factor in the MLS success. If more companies would have endorsed Beckham in advertisements, maybe interest would have sparked more even when he was not playing. However, I don't remember Beckham being in many big name commercials for a long period of time. I think the idea was great, however, it did not play out due to the lack of interest and bad timing of injury. Beckham was past his peak in his soccer achievements. It would have been better for him to just finish his career over in Europe where he was a cultural icon and beloved by many.
At the time of the trade, David Beckham was one of the most household soccer names in the world. He was a very good looking and physically appealing male athlete with a celebrity spouse (former spice girl {popular American vocal group in 90's}). These attributes made him a very popular star to recognize by name and face, even in the United States where soccer was not flourishing. Therefore, I believe the MLS picked up David Beckham in order to try and increase interest in the sport. At first, there was a lot of media hype and brief coverage of LA Galaxy news. However, the hype wore off quickly, due to Beckham being injured and not able to play when he came to LA. In my opinion, this put a huge damper on what could have been a deciding factor in the MLS success. If more companies would have endorsed Beckham in advertisements, maybe interest would have sparked more even when he was not playing. However, I don't remember Beckham being in many big name commercials for a long period of time. I think the idea was great, however, it did not play out due to the lack of interest and bad timing of injury. Beckham was past his peak in his soccer achievements. It would have been better for him to just finish his career over in Europe where he was a cultural icon and beloved by many.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Cricket Discussion and Latino Baseball Players
This entry will briefly address issues talked about in the previous 2 classes: history and game play of Cricket, as well as Baseball's exploitation of Latino players.
Cricket is one of the sports that I know very little about, therefore, it was a bit overwhelming when Dr. Spencer was explaining the game play in class. It makes me realize how hard it probably is for Wiebe (or any international visitor) to understand the game of football, with which we may think is pretty simplistic. I thought it was very shocking to hear the Cooperstown-Doubleday Myth, which says that in the 1800's a man named Abner Doubleday created the game of baseball in Cooperstown, New York. However, like cricket, baseball was created in England and brought over to the states. Albert Spalding created this myth so that the U.S. could take credit for creating a major unique sport, since they had yet to do so. Therefore, baseball became so popular because it gave Americans a sense of nationalism and pride, thinking that it was an original American sport. I found it quite interesting that an individual would make up such a myth to that extent, and have it be believed for such a long time before historians proved it wrong!
Although, I did not attend last class, I addressed the powerpoints and had no idea that so many Latino players were given a chance at baseball in America. My stance on this issue is both ways. Although Latino players are given exponentially less money than American players at the time of signing, Latino's are benefitting in other ways. They are given a slightly higher quality of living in the U.S. and are taken out of the poverty that they dealt with in Latin American countries. However, on the flip side, I don't think it is fair that an amateur Latino baseball player with just as much skill as an American born player and puts in as much initial hard work gets paid significantly less just because of where/how they grew up. Overall, the article/discussion opened up my eyes to an issue that I didn't know existed. I am surprised at the amount of players that the MLB takes risks on, even though it is not a substantial amount of money (it all adds up quickly). However, the MLB makes up for the losses by the financial success of superstars, such as Miguel Tejada who was initially acquired for a mere $2,000.
Cricket is one of the sports that I know very little about, therefore, it was a bit overwhelming when Dr. Spencer was explaining the game play in class. It makes me realize how hard it probably is for Wiebe (or any international visitor) to understand the game of football, with which we may think is pretty simplistic. I thought it was very shocking to hear the Cooperstown-Doubleday Myth, which says that in the 1800's a man named Abner Doubleday created the game of baseball in Cooperstown, New York. However, like cricket, baseball was created in England and brought over to the states. Albert Spalding created this myth so that the U.S. could take credit for creating a major unique sport, since they had yet to do so. Therefore, baseball became so popular because it gave Americans a sense of nationalism and pride, thinking that it was an original American sport. I found it quite interesting that an individual would make up such a myth to that extent, and have it be believed for such a long time before historians proved it wrong!
Although, I did not attend last class, I addressed the powerpoints and had no idea that so many Latino players were given a chance at baseball in America. My stance on this issue is both ways. Although Latino players are given exponentially less money than American players at the time of signing, Latino's are benefitting in other ways. They are given a slightly higher quality of living in the U.S. and are taken out of the poverty that they dealt with in Latin American countries. However, on the flip side, I don't think it is fair that an amateur Latino baseball player with just as much skill as an American born player and puts in as much initial hard work gets paid significantly less just because of where/how they grew up. Overall, the article/discussion opened up my eyes to an issue that I didn't know existed. I am surprised at the amount of players that the MLB takes risks on, even though it is not a substantial amount of money (it all adds up quickly). However, the MLB makes up for the losses by the financial success of superstars, such as Miguel Tejada who was initially acquired for a mere $2,000.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Homecoming Symposium
Last Friday, I attended the Annual Homecoming Symposium Event held by the College of Human Movement and Leisure Studies, which included numerous BGSU Sport Management Alumni Speakers. Although I am a Junior, this was the first year that I attended the Homecoming Symposium, which made me realize exactly what I had missed the previous two years. It is a great way to connect with former alumni because they can explain how they found the path to success in their present careers. It feels great to know that former BGSU Sport Management Students can obtain a successful job in the industry. The four speakers that I listened to were Matt Wilson, Sarah Clapper/Brittany M.?, Nate Janoso, and Brian Freeswick. I will briefly explain what information I thought was helpful and that I took out of each presentation.
Matt Wilson (Manager of Corporate Sales for the Cleveland Browns)- He talked about the process that he had to go through in order to get his dream job. He started volunteering for the Cleveland Browns at age 20 as a Junior and did numerous duties for the organization, however, he did not initially make the cut for his dream job after graduation. Therefore, he had to go out on a limb and leave the organization to get experience with radio sales first. After getting the required experience, he finally obtained his dream job at age 30 (10 years after starting with the organization)! Some takeaways that I obtained from him are always challenge yourself and set new goals in order to move higher up the ranks. Also, its "who you know" that gets you in the door, however its "what you know" that gets you to stay. He also advised to not squander and waste the internship opportunity as an undergrad because it gives you face time with your ideal organization. His story proves that you may believe that you have the qualifications to get a certain job, however, you may have to go out on a limb and take chances in order to get your dream job in the long run. He made me realize that I you can never have enough experience because it seemed like he had tons of networks and connections with the Cleveland Browns, yet still didnt initially get his ideal job.
Sarah Clapper (Current BGSU Grad Student)- She gave insight as to her current experience as a grad student at BGSU. She feels that grad school is a good way to make more connections with people, and that you get to know your faculty/advisors on a colleague to colleague basis. It is a way to buy time and network more if you are not prepared for a job of your interest right out of your undergrad.
Nate Janoso (Charities Director at Cleveland Indians)- He talked about how you can "Capitalize on Opportunities in Sport." He used an acronym for S.P.O.R.T.S. that I thought was very helpful that made me realize what to focus on when trying to move up the ranks in the highly competitive sporting industry.
Skills- Communication, Customer Service, Teamwork
Preparation-Volunteer, Network, Internship
Opportunities- Take initiative to find opportunities, expose yourself, get in "many doors"
Relentlessness-Separate from competitors, exceed expectations, make yourself known, continue to learn
Traits- Passion, Hard Work, Commitment
I also talked to him after the presentation regarding his internship as an undergrad with Baseball Information/Media Relations at the Cleveland Indians. I am interested in this area and learned about some of his job duties. He ended with a quote that I thought summed up his presentation well, "Advancement and opportunities are not going to knock on your door, you must knock the door down."
Brian Freeswick (Works directly with Mr. Trump at NY Golf Course)- I just thought it was cool to know that a BGSU SM grad works with someone as prestigious/successful as Mr. Trump. Some tips that I took away were: Go through every interview with conviction and confidence (look interviewee in the eye), when you give your opinion be ready to back it up, and always be yourself at work because it is difficult to act like someone else every day.
Overall, if you have not attended a Homecoming Symposium, I would REALLY encourage you to do so because it was very assuring to hear all the success stories that came out of BGSU, as well as eye opening/stressful to hear how much hard work it takes to get to their position!
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