American Sport in the 21st Century - Howie Ball and Nick Somma

On September 12th of 2017,  The class discussed sports in the past, from when they first started up. we discussed the sports of Pre-colonial America, Colonial America, and we also discussed the evolution of sports from the 1700s through 2017. Pre-Colonial America - Physical Activity and games were very important, some common sports were Lacross, Archery, and Running. Colonial America- There were some restrictions on participation, they were more tolerant of sport in the south. Some sports were horse racing, fighting, and gambling. 1700-1800 Emergence of the Bees, Barn raising and was then followed by other recreational activities.  1732 Schuylkill fishing Company Collegiate sport still in infancy (Princeton banned it in 1787) 1800-1900 The emphasis on organization in society and sport is growing at this time. Most sports were segregated by social class. Women Participation was limited. First Baseball team was the New York Knickerbockers. First YMCA was in...

In class on October 5th and 12th, we discussed sports and politics. The first thing we discussed about this is the connections between sports and politics. A few of the things we mentioned were how politics use sport to promote economic development and to increase support for political leaders. We also talked about the political uses of sport exploitation. In the article Agents Tell Talent to Stick to Sport the author, John Ourand, talks about the suspension of Jemele Hill. Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, said that players will not play if they kneel during the national anthem. Hill's tweet came after Jones made the comment. Donald Trump was also a target of her tweets. We all know how much President Trump loves to tweet about sports and the athletes, so it's no surprise that she made a comment. In her tweet, she called President Trump "a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists." Hill was criticized by many p...

On September 7th of 2017, My class discussed the subject of Sport and Societal Values. We talked about how sport and society have correlations, The different types of sports that we love to watch or interact with, and how they are organized.  We also went over who partakes in the events and who does not, and what we value from these sports. Key Definitions from the Discussion: Value - Is anything that someone desires and it contains a large amount of importance to them and their life.  Amoral Society -  Performing the wrong in society. It involves cheating, lying, breaking rules. American Societal Values Achievement and Success  Materialism Moral Orientation Humanitarianism progress equality Freedom Conformity Nationalism Read More:  http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/10/09/Opinion/Hershkowitz.aspx?hl=sports%20and%20society&sc=0 Allen Hershkowitz talked about how sport plays a big role in society, and how...

In class on September 28th and October 3rd, we discussed how sport and education are related. We mostly talked about High School and Collegiate sport. The first thing we talked about was the arguments for and against interscholastic sport. There are many different opinions and arguments on this subject. For example, a few things someone might say who is for interscholastic sports is that it is good for physical fitness, involves students in activities, and generate spirit and unity. Someone who is against interscholastic sports would say something along the lines of how it distracts from academics, increase in the likely hood of an injury, and its a waste of money and resources. In the article written by Grace Chen titled Pros and Cons of Sports Competition at the High School Level , Chen describes the pros and cons of interscholastic sports. One of the first things Chen mentions is how teens and parents need to be aware of all the positive and dangerous aspects of being a student at...

In American Sport in the 21st century on September 19th, we talked about sport and socialization. We first discussed the agents of sport socialization. The agents consist of family, peer group, school, community, and mass media. All of these agents are important to a child's introduction into a new sport. The agents all provide different insight to a child  when he or she is wanting to either try a new sport or get better at the one that they play. In the article If I Were a Parent: Teaching Kids to be Good in Sports , the author Kelly Wallace talks about parents of children who participate in sports. Your parents can be considered the main agent. They are the ones who initially get you involved in sports. She mainly focuses on parents teaching their children good sportsmanship. In class on September 19th, we talked about socialization into sport. In this lecture, we talked about how strong of an influence parents have on their children when they first start playing sports. F...

On September 21 of 2017,  My American Sport in the 21st Century class discussed about everything there is to know about Youth sports in America. During class we went over the many different types of youth sponsors within the many different youth sports. We also discussed the elite sport training programs and what they focus on,  and we also went over the thoughts and feelings that most young athletes experience during there youth years in sport. The last part of our discussion was about why kids quit sports. Some issues in youth sports are... The over emphasis on winning, rather then having fun and learning the game. Another issue might come from Coaches training there athletes to much at a young age, this causing injury or soreness. Also the constant pressure in which a young athlete is put through in order to focus on winning is a serious problem. The overemphasis on winning, Can cause youth athletes or organizations to make wrong decisions. Sometime the overemphasis on w...