U.S. Womens soccer in the 1999 World Cup (with a side of baseball)

WOW! I know this has nothing to do with this weeks class, but for all of you that just witnessed the last hour of the 2011 regular baseball season, it was EPIC!  It was awesome to see the determination of one team (the Rays)...and for that matter the hard work ethic of the Orioles, who werent playing for a darn thing!  I did not grow up as a fan of the Rays or a hater of the Red Sox (diehard Tiger), I just enjoyed watching how crazy the end of the season played out! I will definitely remember tonight for a long time, because events like these dont play out like this often!  If you are totally clueless as to what Im referring to, Im sorry that you missed such a crazy time of events (watch sportscenter tomorrow)!  Tonight showed that without sports, life would be boring!

And now for the real blog topic (Sorry Dr. Spencer!).  This week we talked about many topics regarding soccer, specifically the 1999 Women's world cup.  Since I was only 7 years old at the time of the event, I didnt remember anything too significant besides the famous Brandi Chastain's shirtless photo.  However, after watching the video with (former) Sportscaster Robin Roberts, I was shocked to see such an energetic atmosphere leading up to the final game of the World Cup against China.  Yeah, of course you would expect a larger crowd than normal for a home team, but I didnt realize so many people supported the U.S. Women's team at that time.  After the epic win, youth (girls) particpation in soccer took off exponentially.  I believe this occured because, as Americans, we want to participate in activities that we have success in.  Since the U.S. Women's team has not won the title in the last 12 years, I believe the support and notoriety of the sport has decreased greatly.  Then, this summer, there was a lot of talk about the Women's National Team after the memorable goal in the Brazil game.  However, this was short lived due to the failure to win the world cup.  I think that soccer has not taken off in this country because it is in our culture to be fans of teams/sports that dominate from year to year.  Therefore, the fan base of soccer will continue to be on the down low until the U.S. Men and Women teams can show world domination.

I will talk briefly about the controversial issue that many women sport teams use sex to promote the sport.  As is true in many professional female athletics, the success in terms of public interest is very minimal.  Although I dont think that a nude photo of a soccer player will generate more LONG TERM fans, marketers will try different tactics to gain public interest even if it is short-lived.  I would never let a child see pictures like that of Brandi's in the magazine, as it could send the wrong message about the role model.  However, I believe the American view on this subject is behind the times, as many European countries would consider these type of photos as socially acceptable.  Until next time...Go Tigers (and all BG Athletics :)

Dr. Cho presentation and Stereotyping

Last Thursday, Dr. Cho came to class and told his story about growing up in South Korea and the impact sports had on his life.  His presentation really opened my eyes about how I (and Americans) view other cultures and often stereotype people from different nations without even thinking about it.  I thought it was very interesting how Dr. Cho started by differentiating Koreans with other nationalities from Asia.  As Americans, we often combine Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. into one culture and way of life.  However, he made me realize that they are all infact distinct cultures and dont have as much in common as we thought.  In addition, he talked about the night/social life of Koreans and it made me realize that they are human and just as fun as Americans.

Also, Dr. Cho talked about his interest in watching and playing American football as a kid growing up in South Korea.  This interest was developed due to an American Forces Network, which was shown on TV in Soul because of the U.S. Military stationed there during that time.  I was totally unaware that the public was able to get American Military Base TV stations showing the NFL, and even more unaware that football leagues/games were even played in the Asian areas.  I believe my "un-awareness" is due to the typical stereotype that American Football is only enjoyed here in the states, and especially not in Asia. 

The third thing I want to point out from Dr. Cho's presentation is the video he showed from the World Cup that was held in South Korea.  I thought it was amazing to see that many people lined up in the streets so passionate about 1 event/sport/game.  Many Americans may believe that we are the most sports oriented country, however, this video shows us that sport fans can come together in any country and be just as passionate.  In fact, I believe Dr. Cho said that there was an estimated 3 million fans that lined the streets for the watch party during that specific world cup game.  I dont think  I have ever heard of such an event in the United States.  Bottom line that I took away from Dr. Cho's presentation is that it opened my eyes and made me realize that passionate sport fans exist around the world.

Globalization of Baseball and the World Baseball Classic

During the third week of class, there were discussion questions that dealt with the article by Klein about the World Baseball Classic and how to Globalize baseball.  The questions and my answers are as follows:

In the Klein article, they talk about “growing the game.” What does that mean? How effectively has the WBC enabled baseball to “grow the game?” How would you assess the effectiveness of the WBC compared to FIFA’s growth of soccer?

I believe Klein meant that “growing the game” means trying to make the sport more popular in nations where it is not well developed and played.  The WBC has enabled baseball to grow by letting any nation have an opportunity to be able to participate in the event. The WBC gives teams the opportunity to showcase their talents on an international stage, which will ultimately give citizens in other countries incentives to watch the sport.  I don’t think that the WBC is anywhere close to FIFA in terms of success and popularity.  FIFA has been established for much longer than the WBC, and I believe has much more support in terms of fans.  However, the WBC is gradually growing, and with the increase of exposure that the WBC gets from international media, I believe baseball has a chance at becoming just as globally popular as FIFA soccer.  

2.      At the end of the article, Klein outlines a way that you could have global competition in baseball. How well do you think that would work? What would be pros and cons of implementing international play? 

I believe it would be hard to be able to set up a schedule of competition between all the countries day after day.  Instead, I think they should do it how the LLWS does it, and just have the country winners play each other in a shortened tournament.

Pros of international play would be expanding baseball exposure to the world, and it would create a higher entertainment value since there are different styles of play throughout the world.

Cons of international play include: traveling conflicts, which would lead to shorter seasons, which would then lead to decreased revenues

3.      Based upon other sports’ efforts at globalization, what suggestions would you make to help baseball grow in the global marketplace?

In order for baseball to grow in the global marketplace, I think American (MLB) teams should go over to different countries and play.  This would spark interest in other countries.  The NFL has recently done this tactic, as they have played a few preseason (and maybe regular too) in Europe.

Super Bowl Impact on Americans vs. World

Last week during class, we were discussing how the Super Bowl has become a cultural icon in the eyes of Americans.  From the pre game anciliary events and parties to the post game celebrations,  "Super Bowl Sunday" has been referred to an unofficial national holiday.  The unique aspect that the Super Bowl brings to society that no other title game possesses is the events leading up and surrounding the nearly 3 hour match up.  Many non football fans have began to toon in because of the halftime entertainment by big time celebrities and the over hyped commercials.  This full day affair that once started as a simple title game has now evolved into a marketing icon worth millions of dollars.  However, as we found out, the Super Bowl is mainly unheard of in many countries accross seas.  According to the international student that is part of the class, in the Netherlands the game is not even spoken of or watched, except in a financial class, due to its skyrocketing revenue.  Why is one country so infatuated by one event, whereas the rest of the world is able to go on with their day to day activities without hearing a sound about a so called "Super Bowl?"  Is this event really worthy of being spoken as a holiday?  In my opinion, I believe the media has been taught to market the Super Bowl more than any other title game. Like always, society tends to follow in the media's footsteps and become equally as interested in it, whether the NFL is of their top interest in the sporting world or not.  Therefore, I dont think the majority of Americans can consider the NFL their favorite to watch, its just that we are brought up in a society where the Super Bowl is something that must be watched and participate in all the hoopla that it is marketed with.