Abstract Discusses growth of bad bahaviors in spots arenas. Behavioral decline due to moral decay in society. Concept of fair play. Importance of fair play in physical education curriculum to instill positive character traits in students. Elements of fair play (honesty, respect). Impact of "must win" concept.
From the Paper "APPLICATION OF FAIR PLAY GUIDELINES IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Introduction
Over the past three decades, once abnormal and abhorred behaviours have become the norm in sports arenas ?- both on the field and in the stands ?- in many parts of the world. Some observers attribute the behavioural decline to the democratisation of sport wherein control over games passed to lower social orders (Butcher & Schneider, 1998), while others attribute behavioural deterioration in sports to moral decay in the broader society (Peiser, 1995).
An argument stemming from the first explanation is that reprehensible behaviour spreads from commercial athletes (it is the utmost foolishness to refer to such athletes as professionals) to young people in schools as school athletes ..."
Abstract Discusses the premise of the book that today's professional sports are manufactured. Sports have become professional entertainment, performed by a human machine with the goal of riches for players and owners. Gives example of the Cincinnati baseball team known as "The Big Red Machine." The buying and selling of sports events and sports heroes.
From the Paper "Until man had made something of himself he could make little of the world around d him" (Mumford 1967 9) While Mumford is looking at the early ascent of man from a tool-bearing erect mammal to something else, this quote serves as a perfect introduction to Question 25- - professional sports as another example of "profit-making mechanism".
There surely can be no quarreling with Mumford's thesis on this subject. Man as machine, man as a cog in a giant machine named the NBA or the NFL, or Major League Baseball, or the PGA, or LPGA: Initials which introduce the machinery of publicity, sponsor endorsements and untold riches for those who capture the eye and imagination of the general public.
If the computer has turned the world into a new mega-machine perhaps meta-machine ..."
Abstract The writer looks closely at the thematic similarity between the two films. The paper looks into the popularity of these films, including professional reviewer's opinions of the movies.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Coach
The Big Game
Key Players
Outside Pressures
Professional Reviews
From the Paper "In Blue Chips, there are four key players we are involved with as viewers. First, we are introduced to the star senior, Tony who is played by Anthony C. Hall. He is the classic stereotype player who has trouble with his academics; after all, "you do more than watch television" in TV class. The next three key players are all new recruits Coach Bell is trying to acquire for the team. Butch (Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway) and Ricky (Matt Nover) are high school seniors. Butch is actively looking to be recruited and his mother has a list of demands as payment for his letter of intent. Ricky, the farm boy, isn"t sure if he want to go to college, but he's willing to go for the right reasons; girls and fame. Neon, the third recruit, never actually finished high school, but is very intelligent. We see this when he scores high enough on his GRE to be admitted to college without a high school diploma. Neon doesn"t have any demands for recruitment; his main concern is whether or not he's happy in college. The players come together as a winning team, but it is an empty, unmoral win to Coach Bell."
Tags: popularity, sports, dignity, academics, team
Abstract This paper explains a variety of evaluation techniques, explanations and prescribed resting times for athletic head injuries. The author points out that injuries to the head and neck are particularly harmful because they are largely incapable of regeneration; therefore, trainers must be able to see the signs and symptoms and to know the necessary response. The paper states that athletic trainers cannot stop an injury from happening but can prepare by having an organizational structure for when an injury occurs. Includes tables and an "Evaluation Scheme for Head Injuries". Endnotes.
From the Paper "In order to understand how to take care of a concussion we must understand and agree as to what exactly is a concussion. A working definition has been proposed by the Committee of Head Injury Nomenclature of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. A concussion, as defined by the committee, is ?a clinical syndrome characterized by immediate and transient post-traumatic impairment of neural functions, such as alterations of consciousness, disturbance of vision, equilibrium, etc., due to brain stem involvement.?This can simply be interpreted as any traumatically induced alteration in mental status. Recent studies have suggested that the effects of a concussion can be cumulative. Evidence also has came about that a athlete suffering an initial cerebral concussion is four times more likely to suffer another concussion than a person who has never had one."
The paper analyzes the film "Olympia", directed by Leni Riefenstahl. According to the writer, the film presents a realistic and powerful fusion between sports and politics.
Abstract This paper summarizes the controversial life of the most famous film-maker in Nazi Germany. In detail, the paper examines the making of the movie "Olympia", a documentary film about the Olympics that served the Nazi Government in Germany in 1936. The writer asserts that this film is the first sports film.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Riefenstahl before "Olympia"
Production and Funding
The Preparations
Track and Field
Festival of Beauty
Conclusion
From the Paper "The National-Socialist Party was elected to the German Government in 1933 and brought with it large social changes. The Reich was supposed to control all the aspects of life, including the arts. Probably, at the begging, the arts, and specially the visual arts, were not a goal of the Nazi ideology, but de factum it became a tool in order to promote the Nazi desires. One could think the Nazi Government obligated the artist community to follow a certain "Nazi style". However, this is not the case; it was impossible to create a "Nazi artistic model" in a period of time that was too short. Gradually, all the different art movements were expulsed, they were told to be "degenerative" and were blamed to be influenced by the international community, the Jews and the Bolsheviks. This situation triggered the growth of irrelevant artists and dormant artistic movements that were accepted by the Nazis. These artists and movements were those that created the core of the Nazi Art during twelve years of Nazi Regime? They had a pro-Nazi tendency and the Nazi ideology is recognized in their works. The Cinema was an integral part of this process and existed as an important part of the Propaganda Machine; becoming an instrument by which the esthetics and the ideas of the Nazi were presented. About 1200 movies were made during the twelve years of the Reich; most of them were argumental but, in all of tem (including comedies, romantic drama, films for children, etc.), we identify the National-Socialist Doctrine and the Nationalist-Totalitarian approach. Leni Riefensthal's movie, "Olympia", from 1936, is in fact the documentation of the Olympic Games and it was filmed formally for the Olympic Games Organization Committee, under the direction of its General Secretary Carl Dime. In those days Riefensthal was in her professional zenith, she became a movie star in some of the successful "Mountain Films" of Arnold Panck and showed to everyone her talent as director and editor in "Triumph of the Will", also a documentary film, about the Nazi Congress of 1934, that provided her with a good quote of publicity. She was the brilliant filmmaker that became the favorite of the Fuhrer. Although she did not want to be involved in any other documentary movie, she accepted the project and tried to transform it in a revolutionary piece of art. Indeed, "Olympia" was filmed with modern technology and sophisticated techniques: rapid cameras, sub-aquatics cameras, cameras on the top of towers, in planes, balloons, and boats. Holes were excavated in the stadium in order to film the athletes from a special angle and slow-replay clips were introduced (a very modern technique in those days). The professional team, numbering dozens, was directed by Riefensthal and worked intensively during the Olympic Games days. The accurate production and edition took months, and the result was a two-parts brilliant film. We cannot approach the analysis of "Olympia" without looking at the context of the cinema industry under Nazi Government. The central question is whether Riefensthal was independent or not in relation to the Nazi Party, and specially in relation to the Propaganda Minister of the Reich, Joseph Goebbels. We might notice that her relations with the Party and the Government influenced the making of the movie, as well as its goals and its impartiality. Many questions arise while watching "Olympia": Are we discussing about Nazi Propaganda or about the documentation of the Olympic Games (maybe the best one ever done)? Is this movie trying to improve the Classic or the Nazi esthetics standards? Is this a movie about sports or about politics? Maybe, the answer is that "Olympia" is all of them together. The film that documents the 1936 Olympic Games of Berlin included the spirit of the consentaneous Nazi Art. Many aspects of the National-Socialist esthetics are found in "Olympia". The film was used for the profit of the new Government and it became a part the general propaganda system that glorified the power of the strong Germany, its noble roots, its citizens, and their loyalty to their country and leader. The so reduced Nazi iconography found its place also here: the idealization of the human body, the virgin nature as a primitive element, the German "vital space", and the rustic panorama. The same esthetics elements appeared in every visual art (posters, newspapers, post-cards, etc.) and it was part, as we said, of "Olympia" too."
Tags: cinema, Goebbels, media, Nazi, propaganda, sport, women
Abstract The paper provides a summary of Cliffhanger Sports, a company that manufactures and sells a line of outdoor styled shoes and boots. It provides an overview of the history, location and mission statement of the company. The paper then explores the product, service and technology issues associated with Cliffhanger Sports. The paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the hiking boots industry, focusing on Cliffhanger's competitors such as Timberland and providing a full marketing strategy for the company. Finally, the paper provides a financial plan for the company.
From the Paper "Consumers do not need a boot designed for constant wear in wilderness conditions, but a practical, attractive, affordable shoe that can stand up to daily life on the street, and sometimes venture away from the street. The market thus does not make such demands on design experience that the traditional manufacturers have an inherent advantage on technical grounds alone (apart from the marketing power of their names). This is a market that is potentially open not only to them, but also to the sports shoe manufacturers, and to general casual-shoe makers such as Keds."
Abstract This paper examines sports organizations and their power structures. It also considers issues of conflict and power struggles between owners of sports organizations and the players, collectively. In addition, it looks at different instances of conflict resolution and then includes cases in which the use of power by leadership has either led to improving or damaging the conditions in these sports.
From the Paper "Owners supply the capital to ensure the franchise can operate and function. As the author Bernard Bass described, "the member with more personal power" will be more esteemed, since he can directly give or deny? (Bass, 278). It allows the employees to get paid, the stadium to open, marketing to draw interest in the team, and all the other functions, which the operation needs to continue to run. Owners invest in the team expect a return for their investment. In order to get a return on one's investment, a team must be profitable (or show the potential for profitable returns. Without the owner's capital, employees would not be paid and the franchise would cease to exist. The owner provides the gift of life."
Abstract The writer describes to the client the importance of knowing the audience: The people who are recently reinventing soccer as the world's most popular sport. The paper then illustrates the ways in which soccer shoes are currently flawed and proposes ways to improve the quality and therefore garner greater profits for the company.
From the Paper "The growing popularity of soccer on both an amateur and professional level has brought renewed focus to what is the already the most popular sport on the face of the planet (Official Omonoia..., 1999). In short, this is the target audience for a more usable and desirable soccer shoe. The growing numbers of individuals who will become involved in soccer will discover that the orthodics available are not always what they need. Add to this all the individuals world wide who already play soccer who have had a less than satisfactory experience with their current brand of shoe, and the target audience is huge. Not to be forgotten are the shoe manufactures, plus the secondary and tertiary markets."
Abstract This paper compares the newspaper coverage of two college basketball games, one involving the men's basketball team at UCLA, the other involving the women's basketball team. The paper covered is be the Daily Bruin, published and distributed on the campus of UCLA. It evaluates how the message sent by the newspaper and received by the reader is that the women's basketball game is simply not as important a sporting event as the men's basketball game. Through a literature review, it also examines how social theories support the view that male sports dominate female sports in the mind of the public and that dominance inevitably is expressed in the media coverage of men's and women's sports in the country.
From the Paper "One might argue that some of the differences between the coverage of the two games is due to the simple fact that the men's team won their game (and was an upset over a highly-ranked team) while the women's team lost. If the outcomes had been reversed, perhaps the coverage would have been reversed as well, with the coach of the men's team and the reporter both complaining about bad refereeing. Such arguments would be fair, but they would ignore the more important differences between the two stories. There is no doubt whatsoever that the men's game was seen by the editors of the paper as deserving of greater coverage than the woman's game, not only in its place at the top of sports stories in the Daily Bruin, but also in terms of length, with the story on the men's game being almost twice as long as the story on the women's game. The story on the women's game was given short shrift in comparison."
Abstract The paper discusses the rise of health clubs and other fitness related businesses. The author concludes that health food supplements, multiple-use gym equipment, personal trainers, and weight training are all lucrative business and will continue to be so in the future. This is found to be especially true for the Southern California region of the United States.
From the Paper "The latest estimates available from the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association indicate that there are approximately 30 million adult members of fitness centers in the U.S. - and that this number is likely to grow to nearly 50 million by the year 2010. 1 The leading statistical research organization for the industry, American Sports Data Membership at health clubs jumped from 20.7 million in 1990 to 30.6 million in 1999, an increase of 48%. Even more ironically, the number of people who worked out frequently at clubs (100+ days) per year, soared by 84% during the same period. This was just one paradox found in a Tracking Study of Physical Fitness Behavior in the U.S. (1987 - 1999) released in July 2000 by ASD. 2"
Abstract This paper provides a brief insight into utilitarianism, the philosophy that stems from the teachings of John Stuart Mills and Jeremy Bentham which holds that even when the motivation behind an act is bad the consequences can be good. The purpose of utility is to maximize pleasure or eliminate pain. It examines how the theory of utilitarianism can be related to sports by looking at the pleasure and the pain that an athlete and a sports fan gets from participating in and watching sports. It looks at how in the case of the sports fan, pleasure is increased when the team that they are rooting for wins. On the other hand, the fan will experience pain if their team looses. It evaluates how in sports there is no way to know the outcome of the game and so there is no way to completely eliminate the feeling of pain.
From the Paper "Utilitarianism also ignores the concept of passion. Passion is something that can not be contained and sometimes people will seek to fulfill their passion even if it does not result in pleasure. Athletes tend to be very passionate people and feel a need to engage in the sports that they love. Many of these athletes will never become great athletes and change history like Jesse Owens and Cathy Freeman?they simply have a passion that drives them. The passion of these athletes may not lead them to the happiness that utilitarianism exerts but it will provide them with their own since of happiness and well being. Many believe that personal happiness is more important than simply trying to make everyone around you happy. Utilitarians seem to believe that the absence of pain automatically creates pleasure. However in the case of the sports pain is pleasure because it allows the athlete to live out their passion."
Abstract This paper argues that although there is no guarantee that New York City will be chosen to host the Olympics;the world community is very sympathetic to what happened to New York in 2001, and New York may well be chosen to host this event. The author believes that the positive energy, financial gains and overall improvements to the city will outweigh the negative effects on life in an already-congested city and the risk of another terrorist attack. The paper concludes that the most compelling reason for hosting the Summer 2012 Olympics in New York City may be its capacity to help heal a city that has suffered such a devastating blow as 9/11.
From the Paper "While the Summer Olympics will only last three weeks, many permanent benefits will come to the city. The city's public transportation system will be upgraded, made more attractive and possibly expanded. New York City has one of the most efficient public transportation systems in the world, but currently looks worn and tired. Trains and stations will be cleaned, and other cosmetic improvements such as better lighting will benefit New Yorkers long after the Olympics are over."
Abstract With the renewed emphasis on longevity, good health and performance, much public attention and scientific research ? and commercial activity ?has been focused on the role of creatine and whey protein on bodybuilding and health, particularly of athletes. This paper examines the effects of whey protein on the body. It discusses findings of research done on athletes to show how whey protein improves their performance. The paper also explores the useful applications from ingredients derived from whey protein.
From the Paper "Separate researches on the value of creatine on muscular and nervous diseases discovered its probable value in alleviating symptoms, such as muscle weakness and fatigue, rather than treat the diseases. These diseases include Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and congestive heart failure. A study on mice at the Harvard Medical School and Cornell University bolstered previous studies and suggested that creatine may protect against Lou Gehrig's disease, having observed its efficacy at twice as that of an FDA-prescription drug, Riluzole, for treating the disease (Annussek). The usual dosage of creatine is 10-30 grams daily in several doses for four to six days, and a maintenance dose of 2-5 grams daily. There are as yet no known harmful effects of ingesting creatine, but kidney patients, young people below 16 and pregnant and breastfeeding women are cautioned against taking it for lack of sufficient medical findings of safety on their group."
Abstract This paper discusses and compares the careers of Mike Tyson and David Beckham. It shows how both became stars at a very young age and were suddenly thrust into the global spotlight. The paper examines how each of the two dealt with the glory and fame - Tyson landed up in jail for three years and Beckham had to deal with death-threats to himself and his family. Ultimately, the paper shows that David Beckham was more successful in handling the media attention than Mike Tyson.
From the Paper "What made the difference in their responses? That's difficult to say. Maybe it's the difference between soccer and boxing that affected the way in which they responded to it. Or maybe it was the difference in their support networks. Beckham had a complete soccer team who was willing to be supportive for him, and he had a family (including a wife and child) who was completely there for him. Tyson was in a competitive sport alone, without a team. He was feuding with his manager and ex-wife. He had never had a real family. He had grown up on the streets that taught survival, instead of in a supportive environment that emphasized sportsmanship. Tyson had learned boxing when he ?was sent to a correction unit where discipline was to be enforced upon him.? (Iron Mike Biography) Perhaps he simply didn?t have the network for support that he needed. Some would suggest that it was more than that. Maybe it's a racial or class issue. They are approached by the media in a very different way, certainly. Beckham is portrayed as a traditional bad boy, but he was also loved. The media let him be a perfect victim every once in a while."
Abstract This paper discusses how sports are significant in many ways to any individual of the society. Sports have often been considered as a missionary tool of liberation, as anti-hegemonic. It focuses on the obsession of black Americans with sports and how media, poverty and a search for identity lure blacks into it. It also analyzes the reasons and their consequences for sports fixation. It highlights the study made by Jonathan Kozol on the inequalities faced by blacks from the very basic level of their lives and the opinions about black American sports fixation by John Hoberman.
From the Paper "The scenario of Blacks occupying every sport more than the Whites is sometimes seen as a contemporary issue. Much commentary has been fabricated on the topic, whether sports are bad for Blacks. In February 1997 German scholar John Hoberman published Darwin's Athletes: How Sports has damaged Black America And Preserved the Myth of Race. In his story Hoberman made an analogy that sports is a form of slavery and unsubtle political and economic persecution. This analogy is used to describe the unseen side of sports i.e. how audience is attracted into it as false production and how white male autonomy controls black players both physically and mentally and their passage to the market worth their talent. The other countenance of the Black America damaged by Sports is that Black Americans are considered as laborers or as inferior beings. Hoberman claims that black over investment in sports is both the cause and result of black anti-intellectualism, itself the result of virulent white racism, meant to confine blacks to certain occupations (Gerald Early, Performance And Reality Race, Sports and the Modern World)."
