forever

Sports in America and probably other countries are played at any age.  I think that is why I enjoy sports so much.  You can participate in all these different sports throughout your entire life.  There is not an expiration date as to how old you have to be when you have to stop playing sports.  You might have an expiration date for professional sports, but just for fun, as long as you are healthy you can participate in games.

            Sport is one of the first events I participated in as a child.  From a very earlier age, my parents put me in as many activities and sports that I would allow them to sign me up for.  Eventually I quit most of them and only focused on a few particular ones, but I played several sports as a child.  I played soccer, softball, basketball, tennis and volleyball.  I also evolved in my sports.  I graduated from tee ball to softball and from bounce ball to volleyball.  As a child it was weird to not play sports at your local playground.  Then there was grammar school or grade school.  I mainly focused on volleyball and soccer, but there was still this sense of joy that came from playing almost every sport that my school offered.  I guess you could say I felt a sense of nationalism for my school and was honored to play and hopefully win games for my school.  When high school came around, I had picked my sport and it was soccer.  I focused so much of my time on soccer.  I played high school and club and practiced three to four days a week not including games.  Even though I decided not to play soccer in college, I still play intramurals and for an indoor team.  There is always going to be a chance for me to participate in sports throughout my life.

            Sport has become a part of America’s culture.  Not everyone plays sports, but I believe that everyone knows a little about sport.  It is so easy for kids to become involved in sports because they are available at every age and at every skill level.  I believe that sports helps kids grow to become better people and work well with others.  They also help adults to relax and just have a good time.  Many jobs with offer a type of fun intramural league of softball or something that their employees can join.  There is just a lot of joy and happiness that can come from a simple game, and I believe that people should continue to play as long as there are able. 

A League of Their Own

Movies and Nationalism

            Nationalism is the loyalty and devotion of a person to his or her country and the culture and interests that go with their country.  Almost every person feels some sort of nationalism for their country.  The Olympics are coming up and I would argue that they are one of the biggest shows of nationalism that this world has.  People are dressing in their countries colors, they fly their countries flags, and they participate in their national anthem any chance they get.  Not only is nationalism seen in actual events and competitions, but nationalism is often shown through movies.

            One famous sports movie expresses nationalism for the country of America in a different way than most movies would.  This movie is called “A League of Their Own.”  This movie is about a group of women who take the spots of the American men who played on the baseball teams.  It was during World War II, and the men had to go fight for their country.  The baseball teams did not want the sport of baseball to be vacant for years so they decided to create women’s teams.

            The idea of nationalism is clearly evident in this movie.  Baseball was America’s sport at the time.  If baseball were to be nonexistent for a few years, would it ever return to the great sport that it was before the war?  The managers decided not to test that theory and just hire women to play the sport.  This proves that there is so much love for the game of baseball in America that they needed to have it to keep everyone happy and allow America’s sport to prosper even in times of war.  People loved going to games and being a part of their team and the game.  Therefore in the movie, even though the girls weren’t good at first, people still went to the game because of their love of the sport.   When the girls got better, more and more people began to show up to the games.  The nationalism was growing. 

            Also, the girls did not have to participate in the sport while the men were gone, but there was this sense of nationalism within them as well.  They wanted to help out the country in any way they could and if it meant that they would be playing baseball then they would do it. 

            This movie pushed national issues through sports.  It showed that everyone can participate during times of need.  Just because you cannot go to war and fight for our country doesn’t mean you cannot make a difference.  These women didn’t hold guns and shoot people.  They kept up the morale of the country.  The women helped to keep the people entertained and not worrying about the war at all times.  The idea of doing what you can to help out was shown in this movie. 

Nationalism and Foer

Nationalism

            In Franklin Foer’s “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization,” there is a chapter where he talks a good amount about nationalism and his favorite football club, FC Barcelona.  In the chapter he explains that critics think that the aspects of nationalism in the game will come to an end because of that globalism that is occurring throughout Europe.  If you continue to read through the chapter, Foer says that Barcelona is proving the critics wrong.  He thinks that the fans and followers of Barcelona can enjoy the game and think about hooliganism but never actually commit acts of violence or hatred against their opposing teams.  He claims “Barca doesn’t just redeem the game from its critics; it redeems the concept of nationalism.”  Critics believe that nationalism is the root or cause of violent acts and hooliganism, but Barca, as Foer calls it, proves them wrong. 

            The difference between liberal and illiberal nationalism if the difference in how you feel and act towards your opponents.  Illiberals tend to have hate and ugliness towards their opponents.  On the other hand, liberals have a sense of nationalism toward their team or country, but still do not hate or wish to take control of you opponents. 

            When comparing nationalism to the Olympics, I like to think that when I observe sporting events and other competitions within the Olympics there is a sense of liberal nationalism.  Every country has so much pride and respect for their athletes.  These athletes have trained for almost all of their lives to get to this one competition.  They have a very strong sense of nationalism while watching their country’s athletes compete.  There are always going to be winners and losers.  It is inevitable to not like the person or country that is the reason why your country loses, but I do not see feel like those people have feelings of hate or a desire to control the other countries in the competition.  I know that when anyone from America loses to another country, I do not particularly like that country at the time, but I also do not hate them.  Most people realize that it is a game, and the best competitor at that time will win and the others will fall into place behind them. 

Shift in Journalism

Shift in Journalism

            Journalism has gone through many changes throughout the years.  It first began with pure reporting of facts because there were many people who could not watch or listen to the game.  The journalists had to explain what happened at the games so people would know the facts of the game.  Once radio and television came out, journalists went from the facts to more of an analysis of the game.  There was no longer a need for the facts because most people could listen to or watch the game so more of an analysis was needed.  During these days, journalists became friends with the players.  They had a special relationship with the players which made it difficult for the journalists to post bad or false information about the players in magazines, newspapers, or on television.  There has been a major shift in journalism since the days of players and journalists being friends and only reporting about the sport and not the player’s outside lives.  I believe that the audience, the players, and the media are all responsible in different ways for the shift in journalism.

            First, the audience definitely has an influence over what the journalists write about.  Many of the people in America are obsessed with the new fad of reality television.  Reality television allows people to watch the lives of famous and sometimes not famous people, but people really get to see the intimate details, the ups and downs, and the secrets of people’s lives.  Journalists see that this is what interests the audiences these days so they proceed to find the secrets of players and the history that the players might have wanted to keep secret and write about it.

            Second the players also play a role in the shift of journalism.  Almost every famous sports player has some form of social network site that they update frequently.  No longer are the players just heard after games or in interviews.  Almost everything the player thinks is tweeted or posted on a blog somewhere.  This allows the media to intimate details of the players lives directly through the players.

            And lastly the media has had an impact on the way journalists report information.  The media no longer cares about the specifics or the correctness of what they are saying.  This idea of commodification is very apparent in the media.  There are many media outlets for people to get information from so we have choices as to which magazines to buy, newspapers to read, or channels to watch.  This creates pressure for the media companies to compete and make a bigger profit than their competitors.  Therefore if they are competing to beat other companies, the media are going to report on the juiciest and most shocking stories to get the reader’s.  I mean are you going to read about the exact physics of Tiger Woods putting techniques or do most readers want to know exactly who, what, where, and why Tiger Woods affair went down? 

differences

                The English culture or way of life is different from the typical American way.  We have been in London for about two weeks now and since day one, the differences in the way the English men live and the way we are accustomed to are very apparent.                 

                One of my first experiences when I noticed the difference in people was my first attempt at the tube.  I got to the airport alone and had to take the tube alone, not to mention I had a fifty pound suitcase to carry around.  In the southern states of America, people are very polite.  They open doors for you, they offer help if you look like you need it, and they at least try to make your life a little easier.  It is the complete opposite here.  If you are getting off the tube, do not expect someone who is trying to get on the tube to move over so you have room.  All the other people care about is getting on the tube, not letting you off first then getting on the tube.  It makes it seem like many of the English people are just worried about themselves and not the wellbeing of others. 

                The pace of life at different moments is also a major difference I have noted.  Another tube experience of mine, and probably almost every tourist, is the escalator.  I was not aware of the rule stating that you should stand on the right and walk on the left.  Apparently this guy was in a hurry because he was not happy that I was standing on the right.  Then I noticed that a lot of people were walking on the left.  They weren’t only walking on the left side of the escalator, but they were also walking very fast to their destination.  This is when I realized that Americans walk at a much slower pace than English people.  On the other hand, English people eat or dine at a slower pace than Americans.  I expect for my check to be brought to my table about five minutes after I have gotten my food because the waiter is trying to turn tables quickly.  Here I basically have to search for the waiter to try to get him to give me my check.

                None of these differences make either of us more right or wrong in the way we do things, but the differences in culture are very apparent to people from the very beginning of their visit to England. 

Sports Mythology

                Sports mythology can be seen in almost every painting, sculpture or piece of artwork that deals with sports or athletes in the British Museum.  The way the athlete is displayed or depicted is a part of the sports mythology.  It is not just about the sport.  Many times in the past, athletes were depicted like gods or heroes.  They had perfect bodies.  The athlete was a representation of the man that everyone looked up to.    

                A very famous sculpture of a man preparing the throw a discus is displayed in the British museum right now.  There are many variations and replicas of the original sculpture.  The original sculpture was done by a man named Myron around 450 BC and it is called the Discobolus.  The sculpture is still popular today because it represents a sport that is a normal sport for people to participate in today.  The sport mythology of the sculpture is not that is a current sport but it is what the man represents.   The man in the sculpture has a perfect body.  It is proportional and beautiful.  It is a representation of a hero.  His muscles are perfectly sculpted and he is a very beautiful and desirable man.  This is what the people back in ancient Greek and Roman days thought a hero or god would look like. 

                Sui Jianguo recreated the discus thrower but with his own twist on the sculpture.  Growing up and living during the reign of Mao in China.  He decided to clothe the discus thrower in a typical suit that you would find many men in China wearing at the time.  There were many restraints when it came to education and art during the leadership of Mao.  The sport mythology in Sui’s interpretation of the discus thrower is that this is supposed to the hero that everyone looks up to and admired. This wasn’t the case though.  While Sui was growing up, there wasn’t a hope of a hero, even the special people were constrained by the leader of the country.

                The sculpture started off as standing for a representation of hero or god, but throughout the years, many people changed the meaning to what they thought it should be.  Hitler used the statue to represent his ideal version of the person.  The idea of sports mythology in the sculpture as a representation of a hero or a perfect person is still used by Hitler, but he used it in the wrong way.  Then years later, the same sculpture that Hitler used to describe his perfect person was used for the Olympics main poster.  The Olympics is about bringing all these different people together and competing in different sports and activities.  The sports mythology of the sculpture was literally used as a perfect athlete and representation of the person who would be competing and winning during the Olympics.  This sculpture was used in many different ways throughout the years.

MSU LSU

                Being an LSU fan seems to come natural to just about everyone in the state of Louisiana, but I have a little different past with LSU than most people.  Almost everybody I know is a hardcore LSU Tigers fan, and some people find it weird that I am not as hardcore or expressive about my fandom.

                I was raised in a house of Mississippi State University fans.  Not only did my mom and dad attend school at MSU, but most of my relatives went to school there, so their fandom for the school and its athletic teams is ridiculous.  We attended football, baseball, and basketball games all year round for MSU.  It didn’t matter if they won or lost, it was the atmosphere that we loved.  I have vivid memories of playing football while my parents and family tailgated.  It was in my blood to like Mississippi State, but that all changed when I decided to go to LSU.

                I had never been to an LSU football game before my freshman year.  All my friends were big fans of the Tigers, but I hadn’t hit that level yet.  Once I attended a few games, I realized why everyone loved it here.  It was the atmosphere of being around Tiger Stadium before a game.  It was being a part of the crowd and becoming friends with strangers simply because you are both wearing purple and gold.  I never thought I would enjoy LSU football and become a fan, but I realized one day that it wasn’t the actual sport or school that makes you a fan.  It is the atmosphere.

 The atmosphere is basically the same no matter what school you go to.  Everyone out there tailgating is enjoying themselves and rooting for their team.  Since I am not an avid football fan and do not follow every move of the players, I would say that I am a fan of the atmosphere that the football games bring to the city of Baton Rouge.  I didn’t love the MSU football team, but I did love the atmosphere and fun that came with attending the games.  The same goes for LSU.  I like to be a part of something that is fun, entertaining, and brings people together. 

                Although I feel this way, I know many people who do not feel the same.  My dad would probably be the number one person to deny everything I said.  He is an avid fan, who follows everything that MSU does that involves sports.  I can honestly say that he has not been to one game to visit me, even when MSU plays LSU.  This just shows that the degree of fandom varies between different people and people enjoy a variety of aspects about sports.

Robyn Williams

                I met a girl named Robyn Williams and some of her friends outside of the concerts that occurred in Hyde Park this weekend.  She lives here in London so we met up again at a pub, and I decided to interview and talk to her about her about her sports fandom.

Me: Are you a sports fan?
Robyn: Yes I do enjoy sports but I’m not a fanatic.
Me: What sport/sports do you like?
Robyn: I like a lot of sports. Nevertheless, the only sport that I properly support a team in is football or soccer as you call it, as it’s a native sport.
Me: Why do you like them?
Robyn: I like them because they require a lot skill. Also, when played at a professional level, it is fun to watch as there is a lot of competition.
Me: Do you or have you ever played sports?
Robyn: Yes. I used to compete in squash, football, basketball and netball competitions. I also used to do kayaking.
Me: Does playing that sport make you enjoy watching or following it now?
Robyn: Not necessarily, as some of the sport I enjoy playing is tedious to watch or follow on TV.
Me: Do you own clothing items or stuff that says the team or sport that you like on it?
Robyn: Yes - I have slippers which have 'bears' on the back (Chicago bears American football team). Although, I only bought them because they looked cute and comfortable.
Me: Do you go to the games or just watch them on TV?
Robyn: I just watch them on TV.
Me: Do you care if your team wins or loses?
Robyn: To be frank, no.

                Above is an abbreviated summary of our conversation in question and answer form.  Talking to Robyn was very interesting.  She was not a huge fan of many sports, but she did know a little bit about a variety of sports.  She follows soccer a little and will watch the main games because that is what everyone does.  I would compare her fandom of soccer to that of someone who just follows the Saint’s football team because they live in New Orleans and that is what everyone does.  She was like most of us as a child and played multiple sports.  She told me that she played net ball, and I didn’t understand what it was so I asked her to explain it to me.  Even after the explanation, I did not fully get the game, but it is a sport that she enjoyed as a kid so it is a part of her life. 

                Sports play a role in almost everyone’s life.  Whether it is a big part of your life or a small or not as significant part of your life, most people are fans of sports in some way.  Robyn’s fandom of sports was less significant in her life than avid sports fans in England.  She participated as a child, but most of her childhood sports didn’t transfer into serious fandom as an adult.  The main ways she keeps in touch with her fandom is through media.  Sports media helps to connect many people to their sport or sports of choice.  I believe that media has helped to create a bigger fan base for almost every sport.  It makes the sport easily accessible to people who do not have the means to actively attend or participate in sporting events.

running

One of the new fads in America is running.  People have being running for exercise and in races for many years, but I have recently become interested in running.  Even though running is mainly an activity that is for just one individual, running could also be considered a sport.  There are millions of races around the world that people can sign up for and participate in.  There might not necessarily be a loser in the race because I believe that as long as you finish the race, you are still a winner.  You might not be the first person to cross the line but you completed the task.

Almost anyone who doesn’t have any physical injuries can take up running.  It is not a sport that is aimed at only one group of people.  Also, it is a very inexpensive hobby.  All you need is a pair of running shoes and the will to get up and go.  There are many different types of people who run these days.  You have the avid runners who run to beat their own records and the records of others.  Then you have the runners who just truly enjoy running, and they just go out there because it is fun.  And lastly you have those who run for exercise and to stay fit.  There are many other reasons people run but these are just a few of the main ones.

Races can range from thousands of people to only a few hundred people.  The biggest race I’ve been a part of was the Crescent City Classic this past year.  There were over 20,000 people who participated in the race.  The range of people was enormous.  You have parents, grandparents, children, and people from all over the world.  It was a race and there was a winner who finished the race before I even got half way through, but it wasn’t about being the first to cross the line for most people.  The atmosphere of running through New Orleans with thousands of people was amazing.  It was a sport and it was competitive, but it was enjoyable.  Being a part of a race or event like that makes the sport of running fun. 

sports and your future

                When I was younger, every person I knew played some sort of sport.  Most of my friends actually played almost every sport offered by their playground until about age 12.  We didn’t think anything of it at the time, but now looking back, I realize that participating in all of these sports and organizations as a child helped to shape the person I am today.

                First I believe that playing on a sports team teaches children to work together.  There are kids today that know how to work together, but I keep seeing more and more kids who do not play well together, share, or work as a group to get things done.  Many kids are forced to choose one sport at an early age so they do not get the well rounded idea of being on multiple teams and having to work together with different groups of people.  I find it easier to go into a new surrounding or group of people and start to bond with them and I attribute that to my childhood of belonging to many teams and having to work with different groups of kids. 

                Second, belonging to a sports team teaches children respect for their teammates and coaches.  It is so easy to ignore what your friends and coaches tell you to do because you don’t want to do it, but it becomes more difficult when there is a whole team counting on you to do the right thing and listen to their advice.  It is that sense of a bond that makes you want to succeed and do well because you don’t want to let the others down.  There is also a respect for other players that is learned through sports.  If you hurt someone, it is just habit to help them up or say sorry.  I believe that that habit was taught through being a part of a team and knowing that when you accidently hurt someone, helping them and apologizing was the right thing to do. These habits and respect for others has transferred into my everyday life.

                Being a part of a team brings people together.  It unites a group of strangers and makes them believe that they are a part of something bigger than just themselves.  This idea of uniting as a group is apparent throughout your entire life.  From work, to school, to a group of friends, I believe that participating in sports has helped people to succeed in their endeavors in life. 

what is a sport

                A sport is an organized activity where there is a winner and a loser.  Many people have a hard time deciding what games are considered sports and what games are not considered sports.  It is easy to say that football, soccer, baseball, and a bunch of other very popular games are sports, but some games are harder to identify. 

Some games that come into question for instance are poker.  It is not a very physical activity, but there is a clear winner and loser.  In my opinion I think that mental activity and strenuous thought can replace or be used instead of physical activity when it comes to defining a sport.  Another activity that was mentioned in class that could be questioned as being a sport or not is celebrity watching.  Celebrity watching, as in people stalking celebrities or paparazzi, could be considered a sport.  For people who just simply stalk celebrities, their idea of a “win” would be getting a picture with the celebrity or just seeing them in person.  It could also be physical activity to stalk a celebrity, but the physical activity might not be shared on both sides if the celebrity has no idea they are being stalked.  Because of the lack of mutual knowledge of the stalking, I do not believe that stalking a celebrity is a sport.  On the other hand, the game of paparazzi versus celebrities is a sport in my opinion.  There is a clear winner and loser.  The paparazzi gets paid for getting a good photograph which is considered a win, and the celebrity can either win or lose depending on the situation.  A win might be getting photographed doing something good or giving back to the community.  A lose, for example, would be getting photographed shaving all of your hair off and having a mental breakdown.  The physical activity comes in with the celebrities avoidance of the paparazzi and the paparazzi’s chasing of the celebrities.  It is somewhat organized because it is a job and a mission of the paparazzi to do this and both parties have knowledge of the situation.   These two examples show how I go through defining what things are sports and what are not sports. 

Fandom

                The popularity of soccer has grown tremendously within the past few years in the United States, but I have been a fan since I was four years old.  I began playing soccer at age four and played the sport until I went to college at age eighteen.  It might not have been my idea to start playing at such a young age, but it was definitely my choice to continue playing on a club team and for my high school.  I watch soccer every now and then, and I truly love to play the sport every chance I get.

                I could not imagine where I would be without soccer in my life.  Ever since I was about ten years old, I spent almost every weekend traveling with my soccer team to different tournaments. From multiple different states and all the way to Denmark, some of the most exciting moments in my life have come from soccer.  Many of my best friends are girls who I have played soccer with since the beginning of our careers.  We have been through so many ups and downs as a team that it is hard to not think of my team as family.  From torn ACL’s and broken legs to an amazing trip to Denmark with my team, we have grown so close as a group of girls and our families that I feel like my life would be completely different if I had never experienced these things.  We have all gone our separate ways since college, but it is so nice to see everyone every now and then and reunite our mini family. 

                There are various levels of devotion for fans of any sport.  Just like every other sport, soccer has extremely devoted fans who follow every game and every player right down to who made what pass and slightly less devoted fans who just enjoy watching a good game every now and then.  I would characterize myself as fan whose devotion is somewhere in between the two extremes.  I do not follow it religiously but I can also name players and some of the stats in different games.  My devotion might have been most noticeable during the world cup last summer when I forced my friends who were on a cruise with me to go inside and find a TV that might be airing the United States game. 

                Although I am not the type of fan that knows every fact about every player, I think that my fandom is significant simply because of my love for the sport.  People may say it is hard to sit and watch a 90 minute game where the score rarely surpasses 3 goals per team, but they do not enjoy the small things about the game that make the game entertaining for me.  I take notice of the amazing runs that players make down the field that don’t produce a goal but many people do not even notice those moments.   Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy an amazing header into the back of the net and watching the player celebrate just as much as the next person, but I believe because of my history with the sport, I am able to appreciate the game more than others.

                My most recent expression of fandom was with this year’s Euro cup.  I was in Italy for the Italy v. Germany game, and it was one of the coolest experiences.  It could be compared to a foreigner watching the super bowl with a bunch of Saints fans.  They were going crazy and welcomed me when I participated in the celebration with them.  Then I also got to watch the final game of Spain v. Italy in a pub in London.  It was a completely new experience that I could associate with an old passion.