Abstract This paper discusses the importance of stretching and avoidance of injuries by fixing muscle imbalances, which are an alteration in the lengths of muscles. The author includes material on synergistic dominance, reciprocal dominance and strategies of stretching. The paper contains research from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, The Journal of Sports Medicine, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
From the Paper:
"If you have ever played sports, or done anything that has to do with physical activity, you have known someone who has injured him/herself from pulling their hamstring, groin, quadriceps, or other common muscles. Unfortunately, too many athletes have no idea why they injured themselves; they usually think it is from overuse, like running too hard, or lifting a ridiculous amount of weight. Never does one hear of an athlete thinking they were injured because of muscle imbalances, which lead to synergistic dominance, which lead to a tear in the muscle. Too many people, athletes in general, are unaware of 1) the causes of injury, and 2) how to avoid injury. Fortunately, injuries can be avoided through means of corrective stretching."
From the Paper "If you have ever played sports, or done anything that has to do with physical activity, you have known someone who has injured him/herself from pulling their hamstring, groin, quadriceps, or other common muscles. Unfortunately, too many athletes have no idea why they injured themselves; they usually think it is from overuse, like running too hard, or lifting a ridiculous amount of weight. Never does one hear of an athlete thinking they were injured because of muscle imbalances, which lead to synergistic dominance, which lead to a tear in the muscle. Too many people, athletes in general, are unaware of 1) the causes of injury, and 2) how to avoid injury. Fortunately, injuries can be avoided through means of corrective stretching."
Tags: arthrokinetics, exercise, imbalance, injuries, kinesiology, muscle, sports, stretch, training
Abstract This paper briefly examines the advantages and shows the importance that this topic be taught and instructed by trained professionals in order for the exercise to have the most benefit. Advantages listed are teaching healthy living habits, better concentration in lessons and higher self esteem.
From the Paper "The evidence is clear that physical education needs to be an important part of education at the elementary school level. It needs to be taught by trained physical education teachers who understand the need to instill a love of an active lifestyle and who have access to adequate materials and equipment to do their jobs well. This will enrich the quality of their lives because a variety of vital activities are part of their life, and it will help them establish and maintain good physical health. All children should be included in such a program, including those with physical limitations (Kalakian, 2001)."
Tags: sport, education, physical, excercise, children, school
Abstract A brief argumentative paper which presents the views of sports colleges in Nevada wanting to allow for legalized gambling on its campus. The paper shows that even though gambling is legal throughout the State, if legislation comes into effect, it could put an end to gambling on campus all together. The writer examines the pros and cons of such a law.
From the Paper "In Nevada sports books, gambling on college sports is currently allowed for every team in the nation, except Nevada's own college teams. Legislators have proposed new laws that would outlaw gambling on any college sports. This would affect Nevada's economy in a wide variety of ways.
"For the year 2001, total gaming revenue in the State of Nevada totaled $9,468,598,681. Of that total, "More than one-half of total General Fund [$105.85 million] spending is targeted for education. Of that, $1.2 billion represents the State's General Fund obligation to the Distributive School Account, the funding mechanism through which State monies are distributed to school districts" (Comeaux). The amount budgeted for education in the 2001-2003 biennium is $2,000.3 million dollars, half of which is $1,000,150, which is 10.5 percent of the annual gaming revenue."
Abstract The paper lists the negative effects of being a high school NBA basketball player, such as the distraction from tertiary education and the professional risks involved. It explores the uniqueness of high school NBA drafts and explains its recommendations to defer entry into the NBA draft for a few years after high school.
From the Paper "Today's sports world is almost surreal with its multi million dollar contracts; the treatment of the stars the adoration of the fans and other aspects make becoming a sports star a once in a lifetime adventure. It is something that young boys dream about and fathers secretly hope in the back of their minds, can happen to their child. Because of the increasing size of contracts and the sponsorship opportunities that go with the game, students now are often opting to leave high school and turn pro. "
Abstract The paper explains that now that professional sports have entered the 21st century, it is crucial that Major League Baseball institutes revenue sharing and a salary cap to maintain the competition between large and small market franchises. It maintains that with a dozen struggling, small-market ball clubs, constant discussion about contracting teams, and individual salaries skyrocketing over the payrolls of entire teams, the time has come where the owners and players must agree on something for the betterment of the game's future. The paper shows however that with continuous disagreements between the owners and player's union, and the threat of another strike, the negative effects may outweigh the positive.
From the Paper "The Major League Baseball Player's Association is the strongest union in professional sports. The players would most likely strike if a salary cap was presented to them because most of the league's athletes would be faced with a reduction in salary (Smizik). It is believed that another strike would cause Major League Baseball to lose millions of dollars and possibly fan support. ?It would take a long and bitter work stoppage for the players to accept a salary cap and it would simply not be worth it,? says Smizik. Smizik believes a salary cap would help baseball's economic future, but is opposed because of the costs it will take to institute it. Baseball had a difficult time regaining fan support after the 1994 strike, and a second may be even more difficult to overcome (Smizik). However, true baseball fans will realize that the strike was necessary for the league's economic future, and will still support the game."
Abstract This paper discusses pros and cons of Title IX. It examines its effect on collegiate athletics and predicted problems with the future. The writer presents problems with proportions and quotas and how the Bush administration addresses this issue.
From the Paper "Passed in 1972, Title IX is a set of federal provisions that seek to level the playing field for both male and female athletes throughout the country. Title IX mandates equal opportunities for participation for both genders in educational programs that receive federal funding. However, from the very beginning this legislation has been involved in a whirlwind of controversy, largely because of the incredible grey area it attempts to sift through. While most of Title IX's critics even agree it is worthwhile, the debate has been in the criterion for and application of the mandates. Now, in light of newly filed lawsuits and a recently formed federal review commission, Title IX is back in the limelight again."
Tags: athletics, college, collegiate, female, funding, legislation, olympics, sports, women
Abstract This paper provides a general overview of the game of soccer. It examines the reasons why the game has not become popular in America. The paper then discusses the different competitions and tournaments where soccer is played, including the World Cup, the FC Champions' Cup and the Olympics.
From the Paper "Though Americans may not have yet found soccer to be game that deserves National acceptance there remain die-hard fans that follow the games played in the nation and abroad. Then with the growth of the media the World Cup fever grips the nations and even America cannot remain immune. Thus, in 1994 it hosted the World Cup and since then the diminishing game has again taken hold in the country. To give the Americans their due even before 1994 there was an established soccer network within the states and national competitions were held with the most prestigious being the US Open Cup under the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship."
Abstract The concept of leadership has gained a large amount of attention in recent years, as sports have increased in popularity and researchers have placed an emphasis on determining the relationship between leaders, teams and performance. This paper examines the Multidimensional Model of Sport Leadership which states that optimal performance and satisfaction are achieved when leader's required, preferred and actual behaviors are consistent. The paper also discuses the many studies which have been conducted to try to develop or expand the knowledge of the topic of sport leadership.
From the Paper "Chelladurai's research proposed the Multidimensional Model of Leadership, in which the characteristics of the leader and group members interact with situational factors, like the athletic program philosophy. Therefore, the specific characteristics of an effective leader are hypothesized to differ as a function of context. Thus, the sport leader characteristics that are the most effective for male basketball players may be different than the characteristics of effective leaders on a women's swim team.
A leader is one of the most important aspects of an organization. The major task of an athletic trainer is to get employees to perform their best. An athletic trainer, such as a coach, must complete successfully implement training schedules, and provide competing athletes with the skills needed to target the training objects. In addition, to handle a team, a leader must act as a friend, consultant, manager, psychologist, and funds collector of athletes."
Abstract This paper is on the topic of baseball and war. World War I and II affected baseball, but baseball played an important role in the lives of Americans during the war.
Abstract This paper will discuss the value of yoga and weight training and offer a compare and contrast format to see their benefits. By analyzing the differing elements of weight training, one can see the vigorous approach that can be helpful for strength. However, yoga serves a different purpose. These two polar, yet complimenting methods serve different functions when dealing with the scope of health and fitness. Both concepts hold positive and negative traits, but can be done to compliment each other accordingly.
Abstract This is an argumentative essay describing the financial situation of many college athletes. The author argues that compensations provided such as providing athletes with scholarships and paying for their education is not sufficient for the contributions that athletes make. The author uses real life examples and situations.
From the Paper "Universities claim that providing athletes with a scholarship and paying for their education is sufficient compensation. Granted, athletes are benefited by scholarships; these benefits may even be considered monetary in nature. However, athletes are in a situation unique to that of other non-athletic students due to large amounts of money they generate from school. In today's world of college athletics there is a huge amount of revenue being brought into the universities by athletes. Yet, some of the athletes that make the money for their schools can?t even afford to buy the team sweatshirt that they are making popular. Thus, it is difficult for the athletes to resist the temptation of accepting compensation for their performances. Not surprisingly, the media is filled with stories of the NCAA scandals and allegations surrounding star athletes receiving money and gifts from agents, advertisers, coaches, and even colleges. Since the NCAA prohibits athletes from having a job during the school year, these players need some type of income. I believe that if athletes were compensated, it could prevent them from entering the draft before graduation."
Abstract This paper deals with the increase in knee injuries among female athletes. The author presents hard facts to support his position and provides a personal perspective on the subject. In addition the author provides examples of ways in which knee injuries occur and the various names for the different kinds of injuries.
From the Paper "The knee joint is one of the most complicated and critical joints of the human body. The knee has to bear the entire body weight, shift balance and adjust direction of movement all smoothly and in efficient coordination. It is not surprising that injuries occur to this particular joint. The primary elements of the knee include the large bone structures: the femur, patella, tibia, and the fibula. What moves the bones of course are the muscles: flexors (biceps femoris, semimembraneous, semitendinous, sartorius, gracilis and extensors quadriceps and patellar. Now, within those larger structures are smaller but nonetheless critical components: the various ligaments which stabilize the bones and muscles such as the medial and lateral Collateral Ligaments and the Anterior and Posterior Cruciate Ligaments usually termed ACL and PCL."
Abstract This paper takes an in-depth look at the intense passion that the ancient Mayan civilization had for sporting activities. The author discusses how the ballgames of the times had many different levels of meaning, ranging from entertainment to ritual, as tributes to the gods. The paper details the rules and regulations of such ancient games as Poc-a-tok and Ollama, and how Mayans saw sports as public reenactments of warfare.
From the Paper:
"Through this ballgame one can learn a lot about Mayan culture. The never-ending love and devotion that they held for the Gods of their people is apparent in the fact that they organized these ballgames to please them. They played until they collapsed from exhaustion, in some instances, so that they could be sacrificed if they won. The Mayans were a people of respect and warfare. This is evident in the way that after each raid that they planned only with the specific alignment of the sun and the planets they always held the game at the Victor's homeland, there was no straying from the tradition. They placed value in worship of their gods and honor to those brave players who opted to die for the game and in turn for their Gods."
Abstract This essay describes Jackie Robinson's past as a baseball player from the time he first played major league baseball in the United States in 1947. The writer shows that he had no expectations beyond breaking the color barrier so that blacks as well as whites could play baseball.The aim of this paper is to show that Robinson was a quiet role model for the youth of the world for generations to come ? a role model demonstrating that one person can speak up for what he knows to be right, and to have it make a difference.
From the paper:
?Robinson endured many slights and insults while playing professional baseball. When the Brooklyn Dodgers called him up from their farm club, the president of the Philadelphia Phillies announced that their team would not play the Dodgers as long as Robinson was part of the team. The St. Louis Cardinals threatened to strike. Cooler heads prevailed, and Jackie Robinson played ball. (Mims, 1995).?
Abstract This persuasive essay lobbies for the halt and reversal of the trend that is banning the seemingly harmless game of dodgeball from public schools across the country. It presents views from both sides of the argument fairly, but clearly is opposed to banning the game.
From the Paper "Political correctness has made its appearance in the gymnasiums and schoolyards of America. Dodgeball, once an innocent childhood game, is now the subject of a heated controversy throughout the United States. Nine states have already banned this seemingly harmless diversion, and this mindset is spreading. Physical education instructors, psychologists and parents across the nation are all embraced in an intense debate over what the psychological effects a simple game of dodgeball may have on the ever-growing sensitive psyche of the youth of America. Is this a brutal contest of the mighty against the meek, or simply a harmless childhood game?"
