Conclusion of the course Sport and Globalization

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.