Gendered Advertising

Final Reflections

Before this semester, my thoughts pertaining to US sport were minimal. I have always been an avid Denver Broncos fan, but didn't know much of the politics surrounding the sport itself.  I've always seen sport as an entertaining, community-oriented pass-time.  I grew up in dance and soccer and have had my fair share of pushy coaches telling me I wasn't good enough or the right body type.  This knowledge of sport, however, never translated to my view of professional athletes.  Because of this class, I have become more aware of the complexity of US sport. One topic that really stuck out to me was our LGBT discussion.  As a dancer, the LGBT community is very large, expected, and widely accepted.  I never thought about what the lives of male rugby players must be like among their team members and fans.  After I move on from this class, I will ask more critical questions about the US sports world.  I have found myself doing so even while in the class on my own time.  I find what's happening behind the scenes of the glorified athletes and games very interesting.  

This class has been very interesting to me and has helped me to broaden my scope of what an athlete truly is.  I feel like this class could be useful in my future as I plan to create an after-school program of dance for children.  I would recommend this class to a friend. It is an interesting subject that can so easily relate to many people's everyday lives.

Why the 'Mans Mans' Game is an Insult to Men




According to the movie "Training Rules" and the article "Jason Collins came cut; NBA should let him play", sport is not a safe place for LGBT athletes.  Whether male or female, sport is a world with fixed ideologies.  The article about Jason Collins states "Change within the sports landscape doesn't come easily".  Although word of Jason Collin's announcement gave hope of change, it is obvious the expectations are for athletes; he never got invited back to play on any team.  The movie "Training Rules" is further proof of these ideologies.  Steps like enforcing Title IX were taken to push for equality, however, when one female athlete fought against the head coach at Penn State legally, it seemed as if the jury had turned a blind eye.  The female athlete didn't receive any compensation and the repercussions for the head coach who created a hostile and non-inclusive environment for lesbian players was far from severe.

There are other strategies that could be used to help crease a more inclusive culture in American sport. One is to raise awareness of the humanity of LGBT athletes and LGBT people in general.  There are major stigma's surrounding these labels and I think people just need to realize that they are humans just like the rest of the world.  Once people can get past the label, I think LGBT athletes/people would be widely accepted. 

"Darwin's Athletes": Sports & Ethnicity

Sport in African American Culture is highly significant.  The significance is clearly revealed in the movie "Hoop Dreams".  The movie follows two young African American boys aspiring to go professional in the realm of basketball.  These boys came from what the world sees as basically nothing and got scholarships to a high school for basketball.  Although these boys knew there was a 0.0005% chance of actually going pro, they still fought hard to achieve their dreams.  It's part of African American culture to work so hard so to be able to look back and see where it all started and look forward to the success.  

Hollywoods portrayal of African American athletes is very different from what is seen in this documentary.  For example, in the movie "Space Jam", Michael Jordan is seen as a very rich, successful athlete.  He's got a big house, a personal assistant, a family, children, and a dog.  It's the American dream, and an African American athlete is the one who is owning that dream.  This movie shows nothing about his journey to get where he is, only emphasizes his successes.  "Hoop Dreams" reveals real life struggles and longings to get to a desired position.  It reveals the racism and harsh economic struggles of families. 

 

url--photo of "Space Jam"

Sport could be seen as damaging the Black American and preserving the myth of race, but then again, so could anything else.  Nothing really has meaning unless it is given meaning.  This is a mindset for some Americans in the US today, it's up to you to not give it that meaning.  Sport offers amazing opportunities to all races, not just to African Americans and not just professional athletes.  

Gendered Advertising

http://xuth.net/blk/nike/

"My butt is big
and round like the letter C
and ten thousand lunges
have made it rounder
but not smaller
and that's just fine.
It's a space heater
for my side of the bed
it's my ambassador
to those who walk behind me
it's a border collie
that herds skinny women
away from the best deals
at clothing sales.
My butt is big
and that's just fine
and those who might scorn it
are invited to kiss it."

This nike advertisement has blatant gendered qualities.  It is a printed ad that is completely dedicated to the discourse of a woman's bottom.  A large bottom is desirable for more women of this generation.  If you want to be an attractive female, having a large toned bottom is one of the defining features.  This is mainly based off of the male gaze in society today.  Women are often objectified and they usually perpetuate their own objectification by viewing themselves and living in such a way that would potentially please a man.
Nike is using their advertisements to play into socially gendered norms in order to sell their products.  This ad is catering to women.  The message being sent is: "If you buy our products, you will have a toned butt" and subsequently "you will be noticed by men".
This advertisement and the message behind it is potentially very harmful for young people because it is teaching gender.  It is teaching that what it means to be a woman is to have a big butt and other beautiful features.  It emphasizes outward appearance and forces young women to abide by normalized qualifications.  (Not to mention the lesson's young men are receiving by the same commercial: a woman  will always cater to your pleasures).

Interrogating inequality in Sports Media

Sports Illustrated Magazine covers for 2013--Gender representations

I researched the cover photographs of Sports Illustrated Magazine for the year 2013 and found that 1 of the 160 covers had a woman in it.  It wasn't even of just a woman, it was two men holding on their shoulders. She was posing in a feminized version of their uniform.  This reveals the delicacy of women and the power/strength of men, thus reinforcing normalized gendered behavior.
The only picture with a female in it still reinforced societies expectation of women.  The men were supporting her with ease while they held her on their shoulders.  The other cover photos were all male, mostly action shots of individual athletes or sometimes specific teams.  Clearly, society views men as the powerhouse and support and women as subversive delicate beings.
Despite all of the woman's rights movements, while they did have an impact, society still views if not thrives off of normalized gendered behavior.  Women are seen as the delicate, poised, subversive, and 'just there to be looked at' objects of sexual pleasure. While men are seen as the support, the tough, the strong, the powerful, the focus, the determination, etc.
My research of 2013 cover photos on Sport Illustrated supports previous researched and knowledge of media and sports.  According to Coakley, media such as magazines is a "very male-oriented network" (429).  Men are seen as "man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. beast" while women are positioned in suggestive postitions or revealed to be powerless (Coakley 429).  Statistics show that "men sports recieved 90 percent of coverage in all the media and images and narratives tend to reproduce traditional ideas and beliefs about gender" (Coakley 429).
There has been a struggle and battle for equality in sports, however, according to the statistics and evidence of the covers on Sports Illustrated magazine, the struggle is far from over.

Resources:
Coakley Chapter 12
http://cnnsi.com/vault/cover/select/2013-01-01/2013-12-31/dd/1/index.htm

Reflecting on the Shame of College Sports: Should NCAA Div 1 Basketball and Football players get paid?

According to the articles, collegiate sport has increased in popularity and in a way become the label for schools.  It's as if they are an individual franchise as opposed to a department of the school.  There have been discussions among presidents of Universities in which decisions concerning the participation of sport in college: "players would 'enjoy the game as participants in a form of recreational competition rather than as professional performers in public spectacles'" (NYT Sport Economy 4).  Today, however, there is nothing recreational about Division 1 sports in college.  Spending on sports on the collegiate level has increased drastically.  For example, yearly salaries for coaches of D-1 school has increased by 650% (3).  While D-1 sports bring in a large amount of money in ticket sales, the cost for the sport is still pricey, forcing more than half of the players to pull from student loans (4). Not only is it demanding money from players, but it is also effecting their grades in a negative way. Tests have shown that athletes are more likely to study less, drink more alcohol and party more often (5).  Despite all of these seemingly negative outcomes of Division 1 sport, there are some positive outcomes as well. For example, sport is one of the only ways the student body knows how to come together as one. 

This hasn't been something I've really every considered simply because I am not a college athlete; I'm a dance major so all of my funding comes from tuition.  While reading these two articles, I could easily take either side.  On one hand, Division 1 sport is bringing in a very large amount of money to specific institutions.  They are also paying their coaches a large amount.  Through this lens, why shouldn't they athlete get paid to play? After all, they are providing entertainment and working very high to do so, just like a professional athlete.  On the other hand, however, the athlete is also going to college, a place where they should be focusing on their long-term future even after their Football or Basketball career, not spending most of their time caught up in the sport scene, forcing their academics to suffer.