Final Blog

     Prior to taking this course, I had always looked at sport in terms of the actual game rather than examining what really goes on "behind the scenes." From my own personal experience, sport was an outlet. It gave me confidence and taught me a lot about what I am capable of doing. But after taking the course, it has really opened my eyes to the "dark side" of sports and the issues that arise from participating in it, whether it be as a spectator or an athlete.
     I would not say that the course has changed my views of sport, but I now have more knowledge about sports. What I found really helpful was that this course took a major issue involved with sport and argued both sides, which helped uncover everything that was good or bad with that specific issue. For example, during our discussion on Steroid use in sports, the class was told to pick whether or not they believed that PEDs or steroids should be used. Prior to taking this class, I had a pretty strong stance against steroid use because I always believed it gave that athlete an advantage over those who weren't taking them. But after examining the arguments from both sides and realizing that PED usage is a much broader topic than I had thought, I would now say that under a controlled atmosphere, PED usage should be accepted amongst sports.
     In terms of my writing and critical thinking skills, this class really forced me to think outside of the box and examine the topics from an unbiased standpoint. Since this class discusses in great detail the dark side of sports, there are times when the dark side can go against what your viewpoint is on certain topics and can be hard to comprehend. So trying to understand both sides of the argument is something that I have learned is extremely important in order to effectively convince your audience.
     Overall I really enjoyed the course. Though it was pretty time-consuming at times, in terms of the amount of work, I thoroughly enjoyed the topics and discussions amongst my classmates. Since sport has always been such a big part of my life, it was exciting to share the things that I have experienced through sport and how my experience compared with others. I would definitely recommend this class to another student.

Sporting Criminal Bodies

     When it comes to big-time athletes, a lot of crimes they are associated with tend to be ones of destruction and personal harm, whether it be drunk driving, domestic violence, murder, robbery, or doping. This disturbing trend amongst athletes has shone a negative light on the sport and the clubs they play for, which raises the question: why do athletes feel that they need to do such acts? Most of them making hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars every year, yet they still feel the need to live a lifestyle that leads them nowhere except in a prison cell or a cemetery.
     I believe a lot of this has to do with the fact that most athletes feel invincible. Here in the U.S., at least, we, the spectators, tend to put athletes on a higher rank in society, and I think that tends to go to the athletes' heads a little too far. Also, because many of the criminal-minded athletes grew up in an area that supports this type of behavior, many of them aren't taught that this type of behavior is unacceptable, and many of them aren't conditioned to live in a civil society. While this isn't the case for all athletes, I believe you could make a valid argument that to a certain extent, this is very true. Take OJ Simpson, for example. One of the best college running backs to have ever played football, couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. After being accused, and acquitted of murder, I honestly believe that he thought he could get away with anything, which lead him to continue down the path of crime. Today, he now sits in a jail cell, probably for the rest of his life because of his continued misbehavior.
     The social problems presented in the evaluation of a sport-crime nexus are that many of these athletes aren't taught at the appropriate age that these actions will lead them nowhere fast. Many of these athletes don't care to learn these lessons at their respective institutions because they seem to be so focused on their sport and making it on the pro stage. Athletes seem to be given a free pass on their way to the professional stage, and aren't properly guided to be able to set themselves up after they retire, which is why we here of many athletes going bankrupt, because they weren't taught the tools necessary to sustain the lifestyle they were living while they were playing.

References

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100942614
http://jss.sagepub.com/content/30/2/180.abstract

Is Sport a Safe Place for LGBT Athletes?

     Off the top of my head, I can name a few out athletes: Robbie Rogers, Jason Collins, Michael Sam, Megan Rapine, Abby Wambach, Martina Navritalova, Johnny Weir, Billie Jean King, Greg Louganis,  and Amelie Mauresmo. There are definitely more athletes who have yet to come out, and I think the reason this is is because of the fear of non-acceptance. We live in a society today where we put certain characteristics with certain sports. For example, with football, the athletes are typically big, strong, and fast, and I think that an athlete coming out as gay in football would go against what the audience views as a football player, thinking that they might be soft and can't keep up with the "straight" football player.

     We experience homophobia all over the sporting world, whether it's in the locker rooms, on the playing field, or even in the audience as we watch. Although I do believe that steps are being made to fix this problem, there are those whose view points of the topic are set, and therefore, are harder to convince. It manifests in the form of slurs and berating those athletes. There are straight athletes who make it known through the media and other means that they are not comfortable with playing with a gay athlete, which is also another reason as to why so many players stay "in the closet" for so long, or never come out at all.

     I think that in sports, such as ice skating or tennis, LGBT athletes are much safer than in sports such as football or basketball because of the fact that it is an individual sport where they do not have to deal with teammates, and because of the fact that those sports are seen as "less intense." I feel it might be easier to come out when you are not playing with other teammates because it's the acceptance from the other athletes is why i believe it's so hard for some of them to come out. 

     In order to change the way we perceive LGBT athletes, more education on the topic needs to be spread not only to the athletes playing with them, but also to the audience watching them. Because LGBT athletes coming out does not happen as often as it should, it's harder for the coaches, athletes, the organizations which they play for, and the audience to understand what the LGBT athletes might be going through and what we can do to support them. If we have a better understanding of the topic, I think it would be much easier for those athletes who are having difficulty with it themselves. 

References

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/mar/29/robbie-rogers-coming-out-gay

http://www.si.com/more-sports/2013/04/29/jason-collins-gay-nba-player

http://www.edgeofsports.com/2015-03-31-1016/index.html