Sports, Culture and the Players of the Game

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that with the advent of modern communication and media technologies, sports have become a global industry and have become a channel for cultural and ethnic diversity. The writer investigates the role of sports in promoting cultural exchange. The term cultural exchange is used by the paper to refer to the assimilation or accommodation of practices associated with non-American cultural traditions. Changes in existing perception about a particular culture because of the sports exposure are also assessed. Sports of interest are primarily baseball, basketball as well as American football - sports which have been identified the most with the United States. Current perceptions of the influx of foreign players and its implication to the industry, players and sports fans are also assessed. At the end of the paper, a conclusion is developed as to the effectiveness of sports as a platform of cultural communication.

Outline:
Introduction
Background
Assessment
Implications
Conclusion
Works Cited

From the Paper:

" A good illustration of the case is the recruitment of Yao Ming. His physical stature and sport are not directly associated with the characterization of being Chinese. Joanne Tang points out that the popular characterization of the race has been that they are of diminutive in statures, associated with martial arts or as academics and involved in trade. Chinese athletes have also been more associated with gymnastics, diving and marital arts. Thus, Yao seemed to be distinctly out of character. At the same time, he also didn't subscribe to the idea of a basketball star, appearing even at times recalcitrant to face the public or the media. Baseball's Masanori Murakami experience was also similar. He recalls that though baseball was considered a big sport even in his time, he had to significantly adjust to the intensity of playing in Major League Baseball. One critical difference in perspective that he refers to is that his view of playing baseball before playing in the United States was that it was a profession foremost but in the United States, the celebrity value of athletes is much more pronounced."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Asseo, Kevin. "Basketball's foreign Invasion". BBC News, 18 June, 2003. 8 November 2007. Available from: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/us_sport/3002420.stm>
• Charles, David. Critical Readings: Sport, Culture and the Media. Rowe Open University Press, 2003
• Edes, Gordon. "Rising influence: Japanese stars have become players in US". Boston Globe, 30 March 2007. 8 November 2007. Available from: <http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2007/03/30/rising_influence/>
• Grimaldi, Paul. The business of baseball. Projo Online, 27 October 2007. 8 November 2007. Available from: <http://www.projo.com/business/content/BZ_MLB_GEAR_10-27-07_KF7L00S_v20.2551554.html>
• Haynes, Lukas. "Baseball and Global Diplomacy". The Globalist, 7 March 2006. 8 November 2007. Available from: <http://www.theglobalist.com/DBWeb/storyid.aspx?StoryId=5173>

More papers on Sports, Culture and the Players of the Game:

• Persuasive Essay # 128762 : "Hockey: The Whitest of Sports"
• Descriptive Essay # 111238 : "Basketball Player Larry Bird"
• Descriptive Essay # 5238 : "Tiger Wood's Revolution in Golf"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: