Abstract In this article, the writer first looks at the amateur status of college athletes and discusses how they are forbidden from profiting from their performances. The writer also discusses the early departure of college athletes for professional leagues. Further, the writer examines the hypocrisy of a system that prohibits student athletes, many of whom devote more than a full-time workweek to their sport outside of classes, from being compensated for their efforts outside of free school-related items like tuition and books. The writer points out that the college system has become inundated with corruption regarding payments and perks offered to players, more and more athletes are electing to skip college or at least a year of it altogether in favor of going professional, and demands on athletes are becoming more and more time-consuming and stringent. The writer maintains that permitting athletes to be paid for performance could alleviate all of these issues as well as help preserve what traditionalists refer to as the "purity" of the college game.
From the Paper "The first of these issues is the "amateur status" of college athletes; they are forbidden from profiting for their performances. Despite this, many universities sign foreign players who may have been paid for performance in their native countries. This issue could be completely averted if the NCAA were to switch to a pay-for-play system that basis players' eligibility on their talent and ability rather than their salary history. Resources spent verifying amateur status and payment sources could be spent where they rightly belong--benefiting the student athletes who make up these programs."
Abstract In this article, the writer looks at the importance of successful athletes to colleges. Further the writer discusses recent grading scandals regarding college athletes. The writer then discusses the VBrick System of studying, which enables students who are also college athletes to attend class from a distance. The writer explains that thanks to technology, this system allows a brick-sized item to be present in the classroom on the student's behalf and the student may access the lesson via the Internet. The writer examines the class performance of athletes at college and also looks at life after sports for such graduates.
From the Paper "By viewing their classes on the VBrick System, as they call it, the students can attend class via their chosen technological assistance and if they don't understand something, can view the class over and over, for retention. It is called VBrick because the system is brick-sized and sits in the classroom. The remote student has a password to view it over the Internet on demand."
"Athletes may travel to games, and sometimes spend the better part of three weeks on the road. With the VBrick, they can view their classes on the bus, from airports and in their hotel rooms. The system, however, costs between $50,000 and $1 million, depending on how extensively the University uses it."
Abstract This paper provides a scholarly review of the relevant literature to identify those factors that contribute to the incidence of injuries among adolescent athletes, as well as what steps can be taken to mediate them.
Outline
Psychological Factors Influencing Injury
Impact of Economic Status of the Community
Impact of Economic Status of the Athlete's Family
Factors That Influence Rehabilitation of the Adolescent Athlete
From the Paper "Participation in high school sports has grown steadily over the past 30 years and continues to rise today. According to Dr. N. L. Weaver and his colleagues at St. Louis University's Health Communication Research Laboratory, during the 1998-1999 school year over 360,000 collegiate athletes and almost 6.5 million high school athletes participated in sports. These authors report that this expansion has been accompanied by an increased awareness of the injury problem associated with participation in adolescent sports. In fact, estimates are that one-third of high school athletes will sustain some type of an injury during a sports season serious enough to result in time lost from participation."
Abstract This paper discusses the diabetic athlete. It looks at the possibilities and limitations of this diagnosis, with special emphasis on the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics in regard to exercises. The paper notes the complications of diabetes and how these affect athletic ability and performance. The paper also discusses in details what trainers and athletes need to know about glucose control.
From the Paper "It is important to know the difference between the two types of diabetes and how they affect the person because they make a difference to the management of diabetes in the athlete and what trainers must be on the look out for and how they must evaluate athlete..."
A paper arguing that the risks college athletes assume by trying to achieve a professional career in sports outweigh any possible benefits they could hope to gain.
Abstract This paper argues that the NCAA has to change the way it operates if it is to maximize the possibility of its student-athletes to achieve their career goals as professional athletes. The paper further argues that trying to combine athletics and academics at this level does not work and serves to lower the standards for both sides of the equation.
From the Paper "The argument to be made in this paper is that the possibilities of achieving a professional sports career and the benefits once that professional career is achieved on the part of college athletes are not worth the odds of giving up on a college education. At the present time, it seems that the major university sports programs especially in football and basketball are geared to producing professional athletes without much emphasis being placed on the academic side of..."
Tags:athletics, professional sport, academics, NCAA
Abstract This paper explains that, in recent years, the strident demands of feminists that girls be allowed to play with the boys has sparked considerable debate. The author argues that such a development will lead to wide-spread injury and is unnecessary because Title IX already provides women with access to athletic facilities and with access to athletic scholarships. The paper suggests that what is really being pursued by feminist advocates in a matter of this sort is an entry by young women into male athletics while the same opportunity, especially for social and political reasons, is not similarly extended to young men.
From the Paper "In our present day and age, it is fashionable to talk about the 'inequalities' that women face in contemporary society. Although much of this can be dismissed as dishonest rhetoric, there is, nonetheless, a genuine sentiment amongst many women that men are keeping them from their 'full' potential as human beings. While many areas can be explored when discussing the on-going battle between the sexes, this paper will explore but one of them - namely, high school athletics. Specifically, this paper will argue that having girls compete against boys in high-school athletics is not only unfair, it is dangerous to the young women participating in such activities."
Abstract This essay examines the exploitative nature of the relationship between money and college athletics. The paper presents proposals for changing the current the environment that allows for the exploitation of student athletes in return for enormous payouts to colleges and universities with major sports programs.
From the Paper "The commercialization of NCAA Division I college sports, especially the big-paying sports of football and basketball, dramatically increased over the past two decades. The biggest reason for this is the enormous sums paid to Division I schools to gain broadcast rights to football and basketball games. As Singletary argues, the money swirling around in big-time college sports is nearly overwhelming. The successful relationships crafted with broadcast and cable television networks for game rights have yielded contracts worth billions. Schools like Michigan and Penn State have built enormous..."
Tags: NCAA, basketball, football, students, education, athletes, broadcast rights, scholarships, bribes, college bowl games, March madness
Abstract This paper takes a closer look at steroid use in professional baseball and at the Olympics. The paper shows specific examples of recent cheating among athletes worldwide. The paper also provides explanations of drug-screening procedures used today and ways that athletes are successfully able to cheat the screenings, as well as their competitors and the fans.
From the Paper "Cheating is everywhere. It has become a widespread epidemic in the sense that it has almost completely incorporated itself into the American society of today. Not gradually; the change has been dramatic and has covered all angles and perspectives. Anything and everything that has a corner with the possibility of being cut will ultimately be cut. Moreover, based on this extremely wide variety, it would take days to cover each individual type of cheating. Therefore, choosing one single and important aspect, in this case, athletes who cheat drug screenings, allows the reader to obtain a much more specific and individualized sense of the much broader dilemma that is occurring everywhere all over the world. Athletes have found ways to cheat drastically in both the minor and major leagues of baseball as well as in the Olympics."
Abstract This paper discusses how to bio-mechanically improve running performance and the important role of strength training in this endeavor. The author also references relevant research studies, which indicate that endurance athletes can benefit from strength training programs.
From the Paper "When one thinks of endurance athletes, they typically think of a Kenyan marathon runner or an Ironman Triathlete. While these images are undoubtedly "low-fat," they certainly not considered heavily muscled power athletes. Similarly, one doesn't think of an endurance athlete's training consisting of "hitting the weights" three to four times a week. Recent research has confirmed that an endurance athlete who is optimally strength-trained has a distinct competitive advantage compared to the athlete who trains only for endurance."
Tags:athletics, runner, running, weight, lifting, endure, competition, power
Abstract This paper looks at the Nike company's rise to prominence within the athletic footwear company and how its business operations abroad have contributed to the company's success. In particular, the paper focuses on Nike's operations in Indonesia and how those operations have impacted that country. The paper also discusses the benefits the that large companies derive from doing business in developing countries as well as the potential problems their business operations create for the host countries.
From the Paper "The Athletic Footwear Industry is highly competitive. The market share data shows Nike and Reebok as the major players in the industry. Historically, In 1991, Nike led the way with a 29 percent share. Reebok held 23 percent of the market, while the rest of the industry split the remaining 48 percent. As a group, the industry reported a 4.8 percent increase in sales in 1992, but posted a 19.5 percent decline in profits. During 1992, 94 percent of the profits in this industry were recorded by Nike and Reebok. This is an industry clearly dominated by Nike and Reebok."
Abstract Using Jeff Benedict's "Public Heroes,Private Felons", this paper discusses the issue of athletes and rape and sexual violence against women. The paper explains Benedict's thesis that the glorification of sports heroes sends a message to them that their behavior will be tolerated.
From the Paper "Jeff Benedict's text "Public Heroes, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women" is an expose of the sordid underworld in which an unfortunately significant number of amateur and professional athletes engage in sexual assaults, rape and other forms of violence against women. Benedict makes the point that the celebrity of these athletes and, in the case of professionals, their wealth, makes possible a lifestyle that is at best rampantly permissive and at worst criminal, at least with respect to the maltreatment of..."
Abstract This paper provides a review and discussion of the scholarly and peer-reviewed literature concerning steroid use among amateur and professional athletes and the legal implications thereof, followed by an analysis of the salient issues.
Contents:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Effects of Steroids
Incidence of Use
Analysis of Legal Issues and Controversies and Reactions
Conclusion
From the Paper "In 1976, amateur athletes were tested for prohibited substances at the Olympic Games in Montreal and again at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela; the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) banned anabolic steroids in 1973 and began random testing of student- athletes for performance-enhancing substances and recreational drugs in 1986. (Allison et al., 2003). Drug testing originally took place only at Division I football bowl games, and at some NCAA championships; however, since 1990, football players in Divisions I-A, I-AA, and II, as well as Division I indoor and outdoor track and field athletes, have been subject to drug testing all year long. Furthermore, Allison and his colleagues report that all NCAA student- athletes are subject to drug testing at NCAA championship events and at post-season bowl games (NCAA, 1998). Not surprisingly, the use of such drugs has attracted attention from those who would seek to gain a competitive edge over their peers as well as those who would attempt to discourage such usage. To better understand the rationale behind such efforts, the general effects of steroids are discussed further below."
Abstract This paper, while acknowledging the positive side of and the need for athletic scholarships, focuses on the negative aspect of athletic scholarships. Some of the negative aspects highlighted in the paper are that athletic scholarships provide an advantage to student athletes that are unfair to non-athletic students. With such a great emphasis on sports, many students feel inferior to athletes, even though they may participate in some other type of extracurricular activity. Furthermore, the paper argues that it is unfair for athletic students to receive all the perks and credits even though they are often absent from the classroom due to practice or competition. At the conclusion of the paper, it is suggested that, while athletic scholarships should be available to athletes, schools should make a greater effort to provide equal opportunities for all other students as well.
From the Paper "As today's society focuses more and more on sports, the educational world is evolving to keep up with the pace. As a result, today's student athletes have even more opportunities and options available to them than they did just a decade ago. In addition to more scholarships in both high school and college education, student today are offered the opportunity to receive part of the credit required to graduate by actively participating in sports."
Abstract This paper explains that the big business environment surrounding student athletes is a significant transformation from the athletics of 1905, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ruled that student athletes should not be paid so that they can fulfill the amateur criteria for student athletics competition. The author states that student athletes are exploited because of the failure of universities to educate them and because of all the time they must spend practicing, traveling and playing the game. The paper suggests a graduated salary cap based on college completion provided by professional sports organizations, which will help the professional sports leagues, colleges and student-athletes.
Table of Contents:
Background
Introduction
Arguments In Favor Of Paying Student Athletes Conclusion
From the Paper "People in favor of payment to student athletes inquire as to why the NCAA, many coaches, and administrators get huge amount of money and yet for the student athletes the payment is restricted to athletic scholarship. One of the supporting arguments for paying student athletes is that by paying student athletes properly the unlawful methods of payments would reduce. Another argument in favor of student athletes is that that the scholarship given to the student athletes is not enough and it does not cover all costs related to attending college."
Abstract This paper explains that, before World War II, Black athletes were restricted from all professional competition because white athletes' fears of losing to Black athletes was masked by fabrications such as African-Americans were subhuman with their strength coming from their jungle ancestry rather than intelligent and hard work: This myth continues today. The author points out that Black athletes face enormous obstacles when opting for managing, coaching or executive positions in sports. The paper relates that, although some may claim that lower class African-Americans now are more interested in crime than athletics, the exceptional Black athletes, such as Tiger Woods and Vanessa Williams, are examples for young Black Americans that there can be much more in their futures than jail cells or graves.
Table of Contents
History
History Makers
Althea Gibson
Jackie Robinson
Jesse Owens
Willie O'Ree
Prominent Contemporary Sports People
Media Portrayal
Current Perceptions and Issues
From the Paper "Denise Meridith (2001) touches upon the same issue in her article featuring Venus Williams. Her behavior, appearance and style of play are seen as threatening by some. Assertiveness and confidence are viewed as "arrogance" in a black woman. And similarly reference is made to her physical strength rather than skill or intelligence resulting in her success. This is media-promoted as somehow not being "feminine" enough. Meridith makes a derogatory remark comparing the skeletal Ally MacBeal to the muscular Williams, saying that it is healthier to strive for muscles than for bones in one's appearance. However, the media promotes thin as beautiful. Also, the sexy Anna Kornikova is not as powerful or successful in her play as the Williams sisters, but the media focusses on her achievements, because she is the epitomy of feminine beauty."
