London Calling: Globalization of the NFL

The NFL has many motivations behind the desire to expand its operations beyond the Unites States of America.  One of the obvious reasons is revenue.  By expanding world-wide, the NFL will increase in fans, which will increase the money received.  The NFL will also acquire rights to broadcast the games in more countries which will also increase the money received.  

London is the obvious choice for expansion for multiple reasons.  The first reason is the stadium.  Wembley stadium is well-fit for the NFL and will mostly be available at the times needed.  London and the Wembley stadium are also very easy to get to for travelers.  While these facts might be facilitating the expansion or make the expansion seem feasible, there are more facts that seem to be barriers to the success of the NFL in London.  According to the article, Europeans (not people from London) are willing to go to an American football event once a year.  This requires money, which as the article states, Europeans are willing to spend and make a trip out of it once a year, however, relying upon their willingness to travel eight times a year would not be smart.  The fans that do go to the game once a year are not necessarily into the teams or players playing.  For example, in the article, the author states that some of the European fans that attended the game in 2010 were fans of individual players that were retired, like Jerry Rice.  The probability of Europeans sustaining their dedication and interest in the sport once the franchise has moved to their neck of the woods is very low.  Having the NFL move over-seas would also take a toll on the players bodies as well as create a busier schedule for the fans in this already hectic world.  

I lived in New Zealand for six months and studied at an international school before coming to CU.  I met many Europeans (people from Germany, Denmark, and France).  While we were all very good friends, they would always joke about how horrible Americans were and how they wanted nothing to do with America (They like Canadians much better).  I don't think moving the NFL to London would be very feasible for this reason.  While it was a joke, they were still slightly serious.  I don't think an American sport like football would stick.
One possible dark side to this change could be a mass confusion.  Football is so much ingrained in US identity and something citizens of this country take great pride in.  Opening this sport up to the world could cause unneeded tension with other countries and take away a crucial part of culture that is specifically American.

Sport in the Ancient Wolrd

Ancient Greek sport "usually consisted of warrior sports such as chariot racing, wrestling and boxing, javelin and discus throwing, foot racing, archery, and long jumping" (Coakley 58).  These sports were usually in conjunction with mythology and religion.  According to the video, racing was the first sport and was held every four years consistently.  Like sport today, foot racing had rules. For example, a  false start would call for a beating by the judges in front of the entire crowd.  This was one of the highest shames for a free man.  An interesting aspect of this sport is that only men were allowed to watch and only men participated.  Both required money.  The only woman allowed was Zeus's sister and the men who won were automatically a sort of sex-symbol.  While men are still predominate in sport today, women in sport often have to sell themselves as a sex-symbol so as not to be seen as masculine. 

Ancient Rome sport consisted mainly of gladiatorial combat and chariot races.  These physical contests and games were used by Roman leaders to train soldiers.  The practicality of the game was a large reason for the sport.  These games were highly entertaining and spectators would often place bets.  When the spectators got bored, "the emperors passed around free food and tickets for prizes to prevent outbreaks of violence" (Coakley 59).  

Sport, Society & Me

My childhood was filled with activity.  I tried basically every sport when I was a kid: tennis, softball, golf, soccer, swim team, and dancing.  All of these I played on/off except soccer and dance.  These two were a constant activity all throughout my childhood and all the way through high school.  I grew up with the same soccer team and the same dance girls.  While the soccer field held a great importance in my life, the dance studio became a second home to me.  My teacher and my peers were like family; friendships that I still value today.  I am currently a dance major and dance almost every day of the week. Dancing is my passion and acts not only as a therapeutic exercise, but also allows me to express who I am.  

According to Eitzen, sports can be argued to play both a positive and negative role in US society.  First, Eistzen states that sport "is a fantasy--a diversion from the realities of work, relationships, and survival" (3).  The author goes on to say that "sport mirrors society" sharing "with the larger society the basic elements and expressions of bureaucratization, commercialization, racism, sexism, homophobia, greed, exploitation of the powerless by the powerful, alienation, and ethnocentrism" (Eitzen 3,4).  Through different lenses, both of these statements could be positive or negative.  A positive approach to these statements offers the argument that a small diversion from the realities of today's chaotic world is healthy and needed.  If American sport does mirror American society, by observing the positive and negative outcomes of sport, steps can be taken to correct what is wrong and better what is right.  On the other hand, through a negative study of these two statements, one could argue that American society indulges too deeply into the fantasy of sport.  This leads to overly-spirited and malicious fans who seek to harm opposing fans.  To agree that "sport mirrors society" in the ways listed above, is to agree that American society as a whole is negative.  Whether positive or negative, sport is an integral piece of American society.  

There are specific athletes in American society that are valued and respected while others are less valued and less respected.  For example, a professional football player is highly valued and respected simply because the NFL is well funded and it is a popular sport in American culture.  But a professional dancer, however, is less valued and less respected because the funds are low and is not widely popular.  

The Sport Ethic

As stated by Hughes and Coakley, "sport ethic refers to what many participants in sport have come to use as the criteria  for defining what it means to be a real athlete" (308).  A non-exhaustive, but informal list of the dimensions of sport ethic is: 1. Being an athlete involves making sacrifices for the game, 2. Being an athlete involves striving for distinction, 3. Being an athlete involves accepting risks and playing through pain, and  4. Being an athlete involves refusing to accept limits in the pursuit of possibility.
Exploring these dimensions on a deeper level reveal the heart of an athlete.  For example, an athlete is expected to make sacrifices of all kinds in order to meet the demands not only of the game itself, but of coaches, teammates, and family members.  An athlete is also expected to strive to be "swifter, higher, and stronger" through breaking records and exceeding others (Hughes and Coakley 109).  Competition is an inherent part of being an athlete.  An athlete does not accept injury or pain.  They are expected to push through the pain in order to achieve the other dimensions of the sports ethic. An athlete believes that in the realm of sport, anything is possible.  They are trained to not accept limitations without first trying to change them.
Athletes conform to the sports ethic because sports is run, measured, and evaluated by society.  To be an athlete means to conform to these ideas.  If an athlete performs according to the four dimensions stated above, the likelihood of 'making it' in the world of sports increases.
In my opinion, there are major psychological repercussions to these dimensions of the sport ethic. Striving for perfection could be a great motivator when held in the correct mindset.  However, when an athlete is held to one standard that the coach or audience views as 'perfect', the effort to become that perfection can be detrimental to the body and the mind.  Every one person has a different body that is capable of different activities.  If one person has the desire to be an athlete in a specific sport, but their body does not allow them to achieve this 'perfection' set by society, that person is inclined to alter their body physically (drug enhancements, eating disorders,etc.) and suffer mentally (self-degradation).  On the other hand, recognizing your bodies strengths and striving to perfect your abilities in that sense could be very beneficial.

Sport(s) in the USA

Sports world-wide acts as a platform for culture specific to different places.  There are different values, characteristics, and measurements of success in each sport and in each society.   According to Jay Coakley, sports in every society has "identifying features related to culture, social interaction, and social structure" (5).  These three characteristics of a society evolve with time.  Similarly, the idea and definition of 'sport' does too.
For example, in the USA, the acceptance of certain activities such as cheerleading and skateborading as sports has changed over the years.  However, football is arguably the most popular sport in the US today.  Other popular sports in America also include baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey. Each of these sports share common characteristics such as coaches, team members, score boards, rules, officials, and a ball (or puck).  Each of these sports have individual features related to culture, social interaction, and social structure.  The interactions betweens fans, teammates, and opposing players creates a social world specific to each sport.  Another common characteristic shared by each of these sports is the spirit revealed by the fans.  On 'game day', the value of a specific team in a culture is obvious.  For example, on the Sunday of a Colorado Broncos NFL game, almost every Coloradan will be wearing either orange, blue, or a combination of both and almost every store will be displaying the Broncos colors in some way, whether it be blue and orange balloons or a flag to support the home team.
The success of sports in the US can be measured in different ways.  The success of a sports team is measured by the amount of championship games won.  The success of an individual athlete is the amount of trophies, championship rings, or medals the athlete has on display.  The success of both a team or individual sport is measured by the amount of fans or the number of viewers.  The success of an athlete is to have a professional title in a specific sport.  In a broader sense, Thomas Jech in his book "The Ranking of Incomplete Tournaments: the Mathematician's Guide to Popular Sports"states that successful sports teams "are determined, whenever possible, by objective methods, preferably measuring performance numerically, in terms of seconds, meters and number of wins and losses, etc" (246).
Above all, the key factor in popular sports in America is that fact that sports is predominately masculine.  The most-watched, most-spirited, and most popular sports (listed above) are all male groups.  As stated in the text, strong, competent woman athletes are "described as 'unfeminine' or as 'unnatural' or 'immoral'" (Coakley 19).  This ideology has been deeply rooted in American society years and is obviously still in practice today.