This week, I chose to analyze Street & Smith's SportBusiness Journal. This weekly publication, has a network of over 80 writers, and provides breaking news, comprehensive reporting and analyzing on the world of sport business. From everything to media, marketing, athletes, facilities and finance, Sport Business Journal provides a weekly input on the fast paced sport world.
What I thought was most ironic about analyzing women in the Sport Business Journal, was that SBJ has numerous articles that talk about the underrepresentation and sexualization of women in sport. However, Sports Business Journal is guilty of the same crime. One article, " Despite progress, diversity hiring in sport media is still poor," in which Sport Business Journal criticizes sport media for the lack of diversity within its staff. This article found that 90 percent of sport columnist writers were male, 90 percent of sport editors were male and 88 percent of sport reporters were male. In spirit of doing my own research I decided to randomly click on articles published between January 1, 2014 and today's date February 26th, 2015 throughout the website, I clicked 25 random articles, and found no female authors. Frustrated with the lack of female representation on the board, I decided to look up a specific list of SBJ authors. On a list of 15 Featured Authors, there was one woman. Her job at Sport Business Journal is to cover horse racing and labor disputes.
On Sport Business Journal's home page, there are 15 main categories that readers are select articles from. These include categories such as Marketing and Sponsorship, Featured, Media, Leagues and Governing Bodies, Labor and Agents and Facilities. Each category shows the 5 most recent articles in that selection for a grand total of 75 articles available on the home page alone. Of those 75 articles there are 0 pictures provided of females by any standard. No reporters, fans or female athletes are visible on Sport Business Journal's homepage. In addition of those 75 articles, ONE article focuses on female sports -- the WNBAPA has a new attorney.
Wanting to cut Sport Business Journal some slack, I clicked a few articles that could have potentially had females involved, such as " Engineers to assist NFL with injury prevention." No luck for woman in that article. I focused my attention on an article titled " Levi's Stadium Number Don't Lie," in which no females were mentioned in the article, however a female did make it into a picture on the article. Naturally, she is a petite blonde young aged girl posing with her smart phone. At least we females kind of made it in there...
As a female who likes sports just as much as any body else, the lack of female representation in the sporting world is extremely disheartening. I chose Sport Business Journal not because it only looks at athletes or fans, but because it covers a wide range of all things sport industry related. By choosing to ignore the issue of gender inequality in sports media, Sport Business Journal is just adding to the problem they criticized.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The Voice(s) of Sport
For my event, I watched the commentary for the San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings Stadium Series game. Having attended the event, I was curious to see what the stadium looked like on TV, as well as what the players and commentators were saying about the first outdoor hockey game in Northern California.
The Sharks broadcasting team is made up of San Jose Shark and National Hockey League Alumni. Lead by Jamie Baker, a nine year vet within the organization he is one of the main faces of Comcast SportsNet California. Baker's main role is the television color commander. Stanley Cup winner and 17 year NHL Vetran Bret Hedican joins the team as an analyst and former Shark Curtis Brown also makes up the Sharks Pregame and Postgame Live shows, serving alongside Hedican as an analyst.
Hockey is considered a men's sport, with an emphasis on fighting, speed and force. Being passed NHL players, they are able to offer insight into the game that regular fans may not have picked up on. In addition, their keys to the game are explained in a way that can be understood by any normal viewer, especially one who is not familiar with the Kings or the Sharks. Because of the type of event, there was not too much about gender/racialized sterotypes, other than the fact that nearly every face on television was a generally easy on the eyes mid-aged white male.
The Sharks broadcasting team is made up of San Jose Shark and National Hockey League Alumni. Lead by Jamie Baker, a nine year vet within the organization he is one of the main faces of Comcast SportsNet California. Baker's main role is the television color commander. Stanley Cup winner and 17 year NHL Vetran Bret Hedican joins the team as an analyst and former Shark Curtis Brown also makes up the Sharks Pregame and Postgame Live shows, serving alongside Hedican as an analyst.
Hockey is considered a men's sport, with an emphasis on fighting, speed and force. Being passed NHL players, they are able to offer insight into the game that regular fans may not have picked up on. In addition, their keys to the game are explained in a way that can be understood by any normal viewer, especially one who is not familiar with the Kings or the Sharks. Because of the type of event, there was not too much about gender/racialized sterotypes, other than the fact that nearly every face on television was a generally easy on the eyes mid-aged white male.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Reflecting on the Shame of College Sports
The NCAA's mission statements puts an equal emphasis on excelling in athletes and academics with a high level of integrity and sportsmanship. In a perfect world, the NCAA would provide a fair and safe playing field for amateur athletes across the United States to both play the sport they love and get an education while doing so. In reaching this goal the NCAA would provide coaches, trainers, facilities, and what not to make this vision possible. Unfortunately, as we have seen throughout the years, this is not always the case. Within collegiate sport, especially the NCAA the large amount of money have added extra pressure on both the organization and its amateur athletes. In doing so, they have strayed form their core values creating a very different reality.
While the NCAA has stayed true to the amateur aspect of their athletes, this is not always in the athletes best interest. Athletics provide schools, especially those in the Big Five conference, with insane sums of cash. While the athletes do benefit from the money in terms of training facilities, equipment and travel, many feel as if they are not seen as exceptional athletes by the NCAA, but more so as cheap labor. In " Schooled : The Price of College Sports" Martin and Finkel bring light to this issue, is it fair to paying the athletes who generate all the revenue for schools? While it is hard to determine a hard dollar amount for how much time and effort the athletes put in to better themselves, and ultimately their university team, athletes are missing out on the billions of dollars they bring into the NCAA on a yearly basis. And, this is not necessarily in the athletes best interests.
At UNC, Athletes were put into specialized majors, to guarantee all top athletes would be academically eligible to compete in the NCAA. Not only is the NCAA going against their mission statement to help their athletes excel academically, they are ultimately hurting them in the long run, by inhibiting their academic growth, and allowing themselves to cheat in order to succeed. In a different aspect, many NCAA athletes do not have enough money to buy themselves the amount of food it takes to nourish the body at that level of an intense workout. However, the NCAA commissioner is sitting on a multi-million dollar salary, made up of the money these hungry athletes have earned for him. The Frontline Documentary " Money in March Madness," further emphasizes this point. And frankly, it is a little embarrassing for the NCAA. While it makes sense for athletes at small school such as Pacific to not get paid, due to the non-existent athletic revenue we generate at an organization, big schools that make millions off of their athletes still manage to short them. Many athletes at these big schools not only do not have enough to eat, but their families are unable to watch them participate in the biggest collegiate basketball event of the year: March Madness. In an event that generates billions for the NCAA, you would think an organization dedicated to the well being of student athletes could pitch in a few thousands dollars to at least allow the players families to join in on the festivities.
While I do think the NCAA provides a lot of opportunity for athletes to grow and develop both in competition and in the classroom, there is clearly a lot of room for improvement. The NCAA makes a lot of claims -- they are a non profit organization, dedicated to bettering the lives of and allowing their student athletes to succeed, and it's about damn time they start acting like it.
References
"NCAA Core Values." NCAA Home Page. N.p., 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2015
While the NCAA has stayed true to the amateur aspect of their athletes, this is not always in the athletes best interest. Athletics provide schools, especially those in the Big Five conference, with insane sums of cash. While the athletes do benefit from the money in terms of training facilities, equipment and travel, many feel as if they are not seen as exceptional athletes by the NCAA, but more so as cheap labor. In " Schooled : The Price of College Sports" Martin and Finkel bring light to this issue, is it fair to paying the athletes who generate all the revenue for schools? While it is hard to determine a hard dollar amount for how much time and effort the athletes put in to better themselves, and ultimately their university team, athletes are missing out on the billions of dollars they bring into the NCAA on a yearly basis. And, this is not necessarily in the athletes best interests.
At UNC, Athletes were put into specialized majors, to guarantee all top athletes would be academically eligible to compete in the NCAA. Not only is the NCAA going against their mission statement to help their athletes excel academically, they are ultimately hurting them in the long run, by inhibiting their academic growth, and allowing themselves to cheat in order to succeed. In a different aspect, many NCAA athletes do not have enough money to buy themselves the amount of food it takes to nourish the body at that level of an intense workout. However, the NCAA commissioner is sitting on a multi-million dollar salary, made up of the money these hungry athletes have earned for him. The Frontline Documentary " Money in March Madness," further emphasizes this point. And frankly, it is a little embarrassing for the NCAA. While it makes sense for athletes at small school such as Pacific to not get paid, due to the non-existent athletic revenue we generate at an organization, big schools that make millions off of their athletes still manage to short them. Many athletes at these big schools not only do not have enough to eat, but their families are unable to watch them participate in the biggest collegiate basketball event of the year: March Madness. In an event that generates billions for the NCAA, you would think an organization dedicated to the well being of student athletes could pitch in a few thousands dollars to at least allow the players families to join in on the festivities.
While I do think the NCAA provides a lot of opportunity for athletes to grow and develop both in competition and in the classroom, there is clearly a lot of room for improvement. The NCAA makes a lot of claims -- they are a non profit organization, dedicated to bettering the lives of and allowing their student athletes to succeed, and it's about damn time they start acting like it.
References
"NCAA Core Values." NCAA Home Page. N.p., 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2015
Schooled: The Price of College Sports. Dir. Trevor Martin and Ross Finkel. Perf. Taylor Branch and Jay Bilas and Kevin Anderson. 2013
Frontline: Money in March Madness. Frontline. March 29, 2011.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Tending the growth of achievement sport: High School Sport & me
Ever since I was little, I loved being in the water. My Dad used to joke that I could swim before I could walk, and with my severe pigeon toed feet and stalky legs his joke was not far from the truth. When I was 9 I had three years of competitive swimming under my belt, and would go on to win my first Junior Olympic gold in the 100-yard butterfly. For my accomplishment I got a swim cap and a sweater. When Demetrius Walker was 9, he was dunking basketballs, signing autographs, and as an eighth grader big name shoe companies wanted Demetrius in their gear. I swam club for years and years, practicing and traveling. From a young age we were constantly ranked and evaluated based on our performance and potential as swimmers, but never to the extent as Demetrius. Whereas my swim club individualized us as athletes, I feel as if Demetrius was viewed as an asset and laborer. It was never about how can this kid improve, or what can he bring to the team, but more so how much money can he make me, and how many wins can we get with him on the team. Perhaps the biggest difference is Demetrius has 150 or so fans come to his games. I had my parents. While Demetrius was focused on basketball, I was able to explore other sports -- I played ice hockey for sometime, dabbled with water polo and even played a few seasons of volleyball and basketball.
In high school, I stopped competitive swimming and quit ice hockey and focused all of my attention on water polo. For me, my transition to a high school water polo player was incredible. I had an extremely strong bond with my coaches, who criticized, motivated, cared and improved both my play in the pool and my character outside of it. At the point of sounded extremely conceded, I was the best player in the pool (and have the stats to prove it), but was never compared to other athletes or had enormous amounts of pressure placed upon my shoulders like Demetrius had. With expectations to be the next Tyson Chandler, Demetrius struggled to live up to these expectations, especially as players started to grow as tall, if not taller than he was. While there is always pressure to perform well, even in high school, a lot of it has to do with how the coaches handle and distribute that pressure amongst the players. From a young age Demetrius was said to be great, and everything he did that was less than so was seen as a disappointment. While I lead the league with most number of goals scored in the season, I had the nickname " Dink" a Native American term for an unwanted baby buffalo. While there was pressure on me to perform, faults and mistakes were seen as just that. Demetrius faults and mistakes were demoralizing.
While many of favorite memories thus far involved high school sport, there are many cases like Demetrius' that are often over looked. While sports teaches you discipline, leadership, and perseverance, among a plethora of other positive characteristics and attributes, it can teach you to hate opponents for no legitimate reason, it can teach you to cheat, it can lower ones self esteem and normalizes deviant practices. Above all, the dark side in cases about Demetrius is that they do not know how to not be the star. With such high expectations set at such a young age, it is almost impossible for them to not fall short of these unrealistic expectations.
Resources:
Dohrmann, G. (2010). The Education of Demetrius Walker. Sports Illustrated, 113(11), 62-75.
In high school, I stopped competitive swimming and quit ice hockey and focused all of my attention on water polo. For me, my transition to a high school water polo player was incredible. I had an extremely strong bond with my coaches, who criticized, motivated, cared and improved both my play in the pool and my character outside of it. At the point of sounded extremely conceded, I was the best player in the pool (and have the stats to prove it), but was never compared to other athletes or had enormous amounts of pressure placed upon my shoulders like Demetrius had. With expectations to be the next Tyson Chandler, Demetrius struggled to live up to these expectations, especially as players started to grow as tall, if not taller than he was. While there is always pressure to perform well, even in high school, a lot of it has to do with how the coaches handle and distribute that pressure amongst the players. From a young age Demetrius was said to be great, and everything he did that was less than so was seen as a disappointment. While I lead the league with most number of goals scored in the season, I had the nickname " Dink" a Native American term for an unwanted baby buffalo. While there was pressure on me to perform, faults and mistakes were seen as just that. Demetrius faults and mistakes were demoralizing.
While many of favorite memories thus far involved high school sport, there are many cases like Demetrius' that are often over looked. While sports teaches you discipline, leadership, and perseverance, among a plethora of other positive characteristics and attributes, it can teach you to hate opponents for no legitimate reason, it can teach you to cheat, it can lower ones self esteem and normalizes deviant practices. Above all, the dark side in cases about Demetrius is that they do not know how to not be the star. With such high expectations set at such a young age, it is almost impossible for them to not fall short of these unrealistic expectations.
Resources:
Dohrmann, G. (2010). The Education of Demetrius Walker. Sports Illustrated, 113(11), 62-75.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Once the cheering stops: The life of a retired pro-athlete
While the life of a professional athlete can be glamorous one -- attention, popularity and a pretty sweet pay check, the shelf life of a good professional athlete is often a short one. Athletes spend their whole lives identifying themselves with their sport. Being an athlete is who they are, and often they do not know how to be anything else, or who they are once they can no longer compete.
Most athletes who retired before the age 35, find it a hard transition once they hang up their jersey for the last time. However, the problem with adjusting to a normal lifestyle starts long before retirement. Many professional do not have a degree, some haven't sat in a classroom since their senior year of high school. Those athletes that do go to college have an immense amount of resources, a strong support network, fans, and set schedule. Once a player gets drafted, he/she is further pampered, living a lavish lifestyle of private planes, delicate dinners and a system of coaches and teammates that want to see him/her succeed.
The ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Broke, highlights problems professional athletes face upon retirement, and there are a bunch. The most prominent, and perhaps the most obvious problem acknowledged by the athletes is that many of them do not have any business experience. When twenty year olds are getting million and millions of dollars, money most kids their age couldn't even dream of, it is more often then not spent, leaving athletes broke or nearly bankrupt by the time their career ends. Their huge paychecks often go to lavish cars, expensive jewelry, houses, they are still kids at this point in their lives and have little to no sense of long term planning.
However, Broke dives into problems that are not necessarily obvious. Such as the gambling habits of many professional athletes, or the fact that they are subject to high tax rates on top of having to pay lawyers and agents. Many athletes who get traded have to start over in new cities, putting more financial toll on them and their families. Some athletes have the right idea, of investing their money into a business, but with no guidance or experience, many athletes invest their savings into dead end businesses, retired wide receiver Andre Rison recalls professional athletes investing in car washes.
More expensive than a failed car wash business, however would be family. Evander Holyfield, a retired boxer has eleven children by nine woman. Child support is another reassuring theme in Broke, many athletes reminisce on woman throwing themselves at them, specifically trying to get pregnant and rich in the profess. While eleven children is an extreme case, many professional athletes have a hard time adapting into a parenting position, especially when they are used to being on the road for long periods of times. Other athletes are sought out by family and friends for financial support, especially those who come from rougher neighborhoods.
With an average NFL career lasting between three and four years, and leave permanent damage on your body, it is unfortunate that these young athletes are unable to see the bigger picture. Then again, no one can blame a 21 year old for not thinking " am I really going to need this money in 20 years?" I know I don't think like that. Unfortunately stupidity is not always the case for bankruptcy among professional athletes. Some have the right intentions, making investments and supporting their family, but do not have the proper education or experience to truly be successful.
I believe that athletes and sport organizations often forget or overlook the fact that the shelf life of an athlete, while glamorous is extremely short. Athletes are bombarded with celebrity status, fans, and loaded paychecks it's easy to see how their money disappears long before they even hang up their jerseys for the last time. I believe that leagues could easily do a better job preparing their athletes for a future outside of professional sports, through various retirement and mentoring programs. Athletes are individuals with a phenomenal work ethic and discipline. They are able to accomplish things that only a small portion of the population can do, but it's a shame that society only sees them for what they are work for 3 to 4 years out of their life.
Most athletes who retired before the age 35, find it a hard transition once they hang up their jersey for the last time. However, the problem with adjusting to a normal lifestyle starts long before retirement. Many professional do not have a degree, some haven't sat in a classroom since their senior year of high school. Those athletes that do go to college have an immense amount of resources, a strong support network, fans, and set schedule. Once a player gets drafted, he/she is further pampered, living a lavish lifestyle of private planes, delicate dinners and a system of coaches and teammates that want to see him/her succeed.
The ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Broke, highlights problems professional athletes face upon retirement, and there are a bunch. The most prominent, and perhaps the most obvious problem acknowledged by the athletes is that many of them do not have any business experience. When twenty year olds are getting million and millions of dollars, money most kids their age couldn't even dream of, it is more often then not spent, leaving athletes broke or nearly bankrupt by the time their career ends. Their huge paychecks often go to lavish cars, expensive jewelry, houses, they are still kids at this point in their lives and have little to no sense of long term planning.
However, Broke dives into problems that are not necessarily obvious. Such as the gambling habits of many professional athletes, or the fact that they are subject to high tax rates on top of having to pay lawyers and agents. Many athletes who get traded have to start over in new cities, putting more financial toll on them and their families. Some athletes have the right idea, of investing their money into a business, but with no guidance or experience, many athletes invest their savings into dead end businesses, retired wide receiver Andre Rison recalls professional athletes investing in car washes.
More expensive than a failed car wash business, however would be family. Evander Holyfield, a retired boxer has eleven children by nine woman. Child support is another reassuring theme in Broke, many athletes reminisce on woman throwing themselves at them, specifically trying to get pregnant and rich in the profess. While eleven children is an extreme case, many professional athletes have a hard time adapting into a parenting position, especially when they are used to being on the road for long periods of times. Other athletes are sought out by family and friends for financial support, especially those who come from rougher neighborhoods.
With an average NFL career lasting between three and four years, and leave permanent damage on your body, it is unfortunate that these young athletes are unable to see the bigger picture. Then again, no one can blame a 21 year old for not thinking " am I really going to need this money in 20 years?" I know I don't think like that. Unfortunately stupidity is not always the case for bankruptcy among professional athletes. Some have the right intentions, making investments and supporting their family, but do not have the proper education or experience to truly be successful.
I believe that athletes and sport organizations often forget or overlook the fact that the shelf life of an athlete, while glamorous is extremely short. Athletes are bombarded with celebrity status, fans, and loaded paychecks it's easy to see how their money disappears long before they even hang up their jerseys for the last time. I believe that leagues could easily do a better job preparing their athletes for a future outside of professional sports, through various retirement and mentoring programs. Athletes are individuals with a phenomenal work ethic and discipline. They are able to accomplish things that only a small portion of the population can do, but it's a shame that society only sees them for what they are work for 3 to 4 years out of their life.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Cherrrr-Ching: Superbowl XLIX financial report
The Patriots weren't the only one's that went home with a win last Sunday, this years Super Bowl committee projected an economic impact of nearly $500 million. Not is the Super Bowl the most watched television event of the year with 118.5 million views, it is also the most talked about on social media with 28.4 million tweets during the broadcast. Beyond this, there are several outrageous facts about the Super Bowl that leave one wondering how America became obsessed with such a sport.
Perhaps the most shocking fact is that this year's Super Bowl ticket price reached $6459.21 Sunday evening, an 114 percent increase from last year's game. For those who couldn't make it to the game, American's spent nearly $14.3 billion on new TVs, athletic gear, decorations and game day food. Those watching it at home also got to enjoy the $4.5 million 30 second ads sponsored by a variety of companies -- many of whom opted to go for an emotional ad this year. Since 2010, Anheuser-Bush has spent $152 million on advertising in the Super Bowl. However, recent study done at Stanford University suggest Super Bowl ads are starting to get too costly to for how inefficient they are at driving sales.
Not only is Super Bowl the most watched event of the year, it's the most gambled upon. It was estimated this year nearly $3.8 billion bets were estimated to have taken place this weekend. This is partially due to the recent popularity of prop bets, such as placing bets on things such as the coin toss or length of the National Anthem.
While the Super Bowl is a lot of glam and glitz, it can leave behind a legacy of bankruptcy for it's hosting city. While the camaraderie, and the power of sport to bring people together really highlight some of the positive of sport, there is a lot of hidden "dark" side surrounding the Super Bowl. For starters, the National Football League makes nearly all the revenue from the Super Bowl, nearly without having to spend a time or lift a finger. Glendale, however was responsible for numerous outlandish expenses as requested by the NFL to its host cities. For example, golf courses and bowling ally's must be made available, along with a number of limos no older than 5 years, and signifiant control of billboards, airspace along with the ability to request make adjustments to the stadium at the cities expense. The National FootBall League goes on with a nearly 150 page document expressing the requirements host cities must abide by in order to even place a bid for the Super Bowl.
With the amount of money and revenue the NFL is making, along with other recent issues in the league ( domestic violence, concussions, etc), it is sometimes difficult to see how such a controversial organization has so much power in the media. However, when one is at a Super Bowl party, it's hard not to get involved in all the fun, especially when Missy Elliot's involved.
References:
Smith, Chris. (31 January 2015). The Money Behind Super Bowl XLIV. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2015/01/31/the-money-behind-super-bowl-xlix/2/
Perhaps the most shocking fact is that this year's Super Bowl ticket price reached $6459.21 Sunday evening, an 114 percent increase from last year's game. For those who couldn't make it to the game, American's spent nearly $14.3 billion on new TVs, athletic gear, decorations and game day food. Those watching it at home also got to enjoy the $4.5 million 30 second ads sponsored by a variety of companies -- many of whom opted to go for an emotional ad this year. Since 2010, Anheuser-Bush has spent $152 million on advertising in the Super Bowl. However, recent study done at Stanford University suggest Super Bowl ads are starting to get too costly to for how inefficient they are at driving sales.
Not only is Super Bowl the most watched event of the year, it's the most gambled upon. It was estimated this year nearly $3.8 billion bets were estimated to have taken place this weekend. This is partially due to the recent popularity of prop bets, such as placing bets on things such as the coin toss or length of the National Anthem.
While the Super Bowl is a lot of glam and glitz, it can leave behind a legacy of bankruptcy for it's hosting city. While the camaraderie, and the power of sport to bring people together really highlight some of the positive of sport, there is a lot of hidden "dark" side surrounding the Super Bowl. For starters, the National Football League makes nearly all the revenue from the Super Bowl, nearly without having to spend a time or lift a finger. Glendale, however was responsible for numerous outlandish expenses as requested by the NFL to its host cities. For example, golf courses and bowling ally's must be made available, along with a number of limos no older than 5 years, and signifiant control of billboards, airspace along with the ability to request make adjustments to the stadium at the cities expense. The National FootBall League goes on with a nearly 150 page document expressing the requirements host cities must abide by in order to even place a bid for the Super Bowl.
With the amount of money and revenue the NFL is making, along with other recent issues in the league ( domestic violence, concussions, etc), it is sometimes difficult to see how such a controversial organization has so much power in the media. However, when one is at a Super Bowl party, it's hard not to get involved in all the fun, especially when Missy Elliot's involved.
References:
Smith, Chris. (31 January 2015). The Money Behind Super Bowl XLIV. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2015/01/31/the-money-behind-super-bowl-xlix/2/
Monday, February 2, 2015
Sport, Politics and the Olympics
1965: The " Blood in the Water" Water Polo Match, Melbourne, Australia
A few weeks after the Soviet's tanks and troops flooded the Hungarian capital causing an anti-Soviet uprising, the USSR was set to play the Hungarians in the semi final round at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The uprising caused hundreds of Hungarians their lives and set thousands more into jail, causing high tensions between the two countries. The Hungarian Olympic team watched from a distance as their countries capitol, and the players saw victory as a way to establish pride back to their country.
The Hungarians approached the game with a unique strategy that revolved around "verbally agitating" the Russians. The tactic was to make the Russians so angry, they would be to distracted to focus on the game. This resulted in a physical match with kicking and punching from both sides. By the fourth quarter, five players had been kicked out of the game by the referee. The Hungarians were up 4-0, led by their 21 year old star player, Ervin Zador. Moments before the final whistle, Russian player Valentin Prokopov hit Zador in the eye. " I saw about 4,000 stars. And I reached to my face and I felt warm blood pouring down, I instantly said 'Oh my God, I wont be playing the next game." When Zador exited the pool, the crowd went wild, with spectators jumping the barrier, rushing the Russian team. Pictures of Zador's injuries circulated the world, leading to the nickname " Blood in the Water".
Hungary ended up winning gold at the Olympics that year. Zador and a handful of his teammates sought off to live in the United States, rather than returning to Hungary under the pro-Soviet regime.
This water polo match demonstrates many aspects of Sage and Eitzen's Sport and Politics. Most clearly it was used as a way to express nationalism. While the Hungarian National team watched Soviet tanks roll over their capital, the Olympic team because a sign of strength, pride and icon under their country's failing battle for freedom. The stadium was packed with Hungarian-born Australians, and charged with political tension. For Hungarians this match was a way to lessen the pride of their oppressors. This game became a way to opiate to the masses, cheering for their country as they fought a war in the pool.
As Gilbert Cranberg has pointed out, " nationalism not merely intrudes, it dominates." One of the first nights of the Olympic games, the red star in the center of the Communist Hungarian flag was cut out, and replaced with a symbol of Hungarian independence. The Olympics are not only a way to propose for change, and promote the idea of both nationalism and " the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from all over the world at the Olympic games in a spirit of fair competition and frank competition".
Because of this situation, and a handful of other political stances that have been made at the Olympics, I am going to have to disagree with the fact that " Sport is pure and devoid of political interference. From the 1936 Nazi Olympics in Muich, to the ban of homosexual athletes at the passed Winter Olympics, the amount of emotion and money make sport a perfect stage for political outcry.
References:
Reid, Kristy (20 August 2011). Blood in the water: Hungary's 1956 water polo gold. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14575260
A few weeks after the Soviet's tanks and troops flooded the Hungarian capital causing an anti-Soviet uprising, the USSR was set to play the Hungarians in the semi final round at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The uprising caused hundreds of Hungarians their lives and set thousands more into jail, causing high tensions between the two countries. The Hungarian Olympic team watched from a distance as their countries capitol, and the players saw victory as a way to establish pride back to their country.
The Hungarians approached the game with a unique strategy that revolved around "verbally agitating" the Russians. The tactic was to make the Russians so angry, they would be to distracted to focus on the game. This resulted in a physical match with kicking and punching from both sides. By the fourth quarter, five players had been kicked out of the game by the referee. The Hungarians were up 4-0, led by their 21 year old star player, Ervin Zador. Moments before the final whistle, Russian player Valentin Prokopov hit Zador in the eye. " I saw about 4,000 stars. And I reached to my face and I felt warm blood pouring down, I instantly said 'Oh my God, I wont be playing the next game." When Zador exited the pool, the crowd went wild, with spectators jumping the barrier, rushing the Russian team. Pictures of Zador's injuries circulated the world, leading to the nickname " Blood in the Water".
Hungary ended up winning gold at the Olympics that year. Zador and a handful of his teammates sought off to live in the United States, rather than returning to Hungary under the pro-Soviet regime.
This water polo match demonstrates many aspects of Sage and Eitzen's Sport and Politics. Most clearly it was used as a way to express nationalism. While the Hungarian National team watched Soviet tanks roll over their capital, the Olympic team because a sign of strength, pride and icon under their country's failing battle for freedom. The stadium was packed with Hungarian-born Australians, and charged with political tension. For Hungarians this match was a way to lessen the pride of their oppressors. This game became a way to opiate to the masses, cheering for their country as they fought a war in the pool.
As Gilbert Cranberg has pointed out, " nationalism not merely intrudes, it dominates." One of the first nights of the Olympic games, the red star in the center of the Communist Hungarian flag was cut out, and replaced with a symbol of Hungarian independence. The Olympics are not only a way to propose for change, and promote the idea of both nationalism and " the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from all over the world at the Olympic games in a spirit of fair competition and frank competition".
Because of this situation, and a handful of other political stances that have been made at the Olympics, I am going to have to disagree with the fact that " Sport is pure and devoid of political interference. From the 1936 Nazi Olympics in Muich, to the ban of homosexual athletes at the passed Winter Olympics, the amount of emotion and money make sport a perfect stage for political outcry.
References:
Reid, Kristy (20 August 2011). Blood in the water: Hungary's 1956 water polo gold. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14575260
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)