Final Reflections

Before I took this class, I had never thought critically about the relationship between sport and culture. I knew that sport played a huge role in US society, but never realized the extent to which it shapes and perpetuates larger constructs and issues in society such as racism, sexism, violence, and more. This class has greatly changed my understanding and perception of the US sports culture because it has allowed me to think critically about these issues and how they manifest themselves in sport, and to just become a more aware and informed sports fan.

My favorite topic in class was when we talked about the violence in sports. I thought it was interesting (and I had never thought about) the comparisons we drew between sports and war. Everything from the symbolic uses of flags at games, to comparing a game to ‘going to battle.’ I also enjoyed our discussion on whether or not this comparison was problematic both in the sports realm and war realm. Another thing I enjoyed in class were the debates like when we discussed whether or not college athletes should get paid. I thought it was fun to pick a side and argue it, but the opposing argument still opened my eyes.

I plan to work in sports, so I will definitely take a lot of the information I learned in this class with me! It will be useful in my career and in my life as an avid sports fan.

I really enjoyed this class and would recommend it to a friend! I thought it was challenging but rewarding, and it was material that I was truly interested in which I haven’t been able to say for many other classes I have taken at CU. I thought the class got better when we had fewer journals because it allowed us to keep up with the readings better and be a little less overwhelmed. 

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

This movie is about Rene Portland – she was a basketball coach at Penn State University who discriminated against her lesbian players based on their sexual orientation. She coached at Penn state for over 25 years, during which time she pushed a homophobic agenda as a selling point for Penn state women’s basketball. There were harsh consequences for players who broke her training rules, including suspension from the team. No one stood up to her regarding these issues for years until Jennifer Harris did. They would have scholarships revoked, and she assured them that they would never play basketball again because she would make it impossible to transfer. She threatened telling the University, media, and their parents. Therefore, these women lived their lives in secret or were forced to quit the team or risk facing a death sentence in a sense. All of this makes sport a scary place for LGBT athletes. Additionally, the NFL article calls a player coming out a "milestone event in American pro sports." I question how in 2014 this issue is still so highly controversial, but seeing coaches like Rene Portland make it a little more clear. 

However, I think the world is ready for more high level players to be open about their sexual preference.  Mizzou grad and NFL prospect Michael Sam recently came out as being openly gay and received an outpouring of support from coaches, teammates, NFL players, students at his school, and even recieved a tweet from president obama! I really think that the world needs this, and people are ready for it!

To make a more inclusive culture in American sport I think we need more pioneers like Michael Sam or Robbie Rodgers -- top notch athletes in their sport -- to be open and proud about their sexual preferences. The more people that come out, the more normalized it will be in our society, until hopefully many years down the road it is a non-issue. I believe that having pioneers like Michael Sam is so important because it will begin to show that homosexuality has no effect on athletic performance, can still foster an environment of comradarie among teammates, and will hopefully be a safer place for all athletes.