Final Reflections

My perception of US sport before this class was more of an athlete look at it of how I love to see the big hits and I for me the sexualization of women in sports is something I didn't disagree with before.  I looked at sport a lot more ignorantly than I do now that I have taken this class.

It has definitely changed from this class to make me look at sport in a way to see what we really value in American sport and further of what we really value in American society.  This class has shown me the deep parallels that are in sport and society and how they reflect each other very closely.  Watching sports and anything really involving sport I will now have a different lens in which I watch these sporting events and be able to enjoy sports for the reasons I enjoy playing these sports.

I think the topic of the gross inequality of women and men in sports.  But I think the most important thing we looked at was that when women are in sports or sports advertisements are always sexualized.  There is never any sort of empowerment for women in sports and athletics which I don't think is necessarily the right thing.

I definitely will ask more critical questions when I watch sports and are around sports because from this class there are many things now that I did not know or at least notice about sport that I now know from this class and personally I think that it will help me understand a sport and society connection more.

My future career will be a lawyer so there is a chance that some of these skills I won't necessarily need then but I think the general idea about critically think about simple issues that I didn't think abut before is a good skill to have in anything that I do.  As for being a lawyer the debates in class were a great thing since there is a good chance that I will be in a debate during sometime of being a lawyer.

I will definitely recommend this class to a friend, in fact, I have already recommended this class to a friend and I think they are going to take it next fall.  I really enjoyed the class, it isn't your typical lecture and I really enjoy those type of classes.  Especially for my last semester before I graduate I really enjoyed this class.

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

Every time we see or hear an athlete "coming out" and especially in the professional realm we focus on all the famed athletes and people that are saying they support the person and things are different today and it is safe for people to come out.  Is it really though? I'm not sure.  On one hand I do think things are better and that there is more support for people who are willing to come out.  On the other hand, largely we don't see what goes on in locker rooms and behind the scenes.  Maybe, it is safe and the players that do come out walk into the locker room with their head held high and an aura of respect among the players and coaches.  Or maybe not, maybe there is an aura of disgust, confusion, and fear that the gay player is going to look at me while I am changing so the teammates call names and act as if they are not a part of the team anymore.  I do think that it safer today in society for LGBT members and I would also like to think that is safer for athletes as well but I think the sport, the region, the level of sport, and the way in which they come out all play big roles in the perception.

In the Robbie Rogers article he talked a lot about Jackie Robinson and Muhammed Ali and how they changed sports forever for African Americans.  I do know that these two men made enormous amounts changes to American sport, but I also know that things did not automatically change overnight with either of these men.  The better level of equality we now have with African Americans started with Robinson and Ali but it came from more and more African Americans making their way into American sports.  That is what I think we need for LGBT athletes in American sports.  We need more people like Robbie Rogers, Michael Sams, Jason Collins, and Jennifer Harris to take a stand against people in American sports like Rene Portland and show that LGBT athletes in sports should come out and they will be safe.

I especially thought this article was very interesting.  Although I didn't use it in my blog I enjoyed reading it.  Making sports gay-friendly for athletes