Abstract In this essay, the author examines the life of Dawn Staley, from her early childhood in Philadelphia as the daughter of a working class family, her introduction to basketball to her career through high school, university and the Olympic Games. The paper chronicles her development both as a player, a coach and her evolution into a role model for all women. The writer describes her induction into the WNBA and her progress as a professional womenbasketball player leading to her career as a professional women's basketball coach.
From the Paper "On and off the court, Dawn Staley has been a positive influence for female athletes. Whether it is Dawn Staley, the basketball player or Coach Dawn Staley or she is heading up her foundation, she seems to always give her very best. Staley is a perfect example of a person who has taken their natural born abilities and done the best that she could with them. As a starting player and member of the WNBA, she blazed an avenue for other female athletes to follow. Much like the vapors that follow a comet's tail as it streaks through the sky. As a coach, she has given other female athletes the opportunity to be better players just as Pat Summit did for many players at the University of Tennessee. Dawn Staley has not forgotten to give back to the community that helped her get where she is today nor has she kept the benefits of her experience to herself. Even if she was to stop having anything else to do with basketball, the indelible mark she has left on women's basketball is undeniable."
Tags:basketballsportwomentalent, player of the year, scholarship coach game ABL WNBA
Abstract This report explores the question of whether women should be permitted to participate in all contact sports. A contextual analysis of this issue reveals that its assumptions are predicated upon historically-defined appropriate gender roles for women that are currently under revision in Western society. Given the increasing popularity of such sports among women, and interest in women's athletics in society in general, it recommends that participation be permitted with the caveat that they can only compete with other female athletes in these contact sports.
Abstract As the title implies, this paper evaluates both the history of womens' involvement in sports and the recent developments. The author blames the media for the present imbalance citing many specific examples and causes. She examines sports on the High School level as well as the professional.
From the Paper "I have decided to look into the issue of media coverage and the imaging of female athletes because it is an area of popular culture that I am not only interested in, but have become intensely aware of as a spectator of sports programming. I have also watched and noticed over the years that sports coverage of women is another means by which the media sexualizes women. Mass media, which has long been transmitting negative stereotypes of women, portrays female athletes with these same stereotypes on place."
Abstract This paper is a study about how sports in literature reflects a dominant male perspective and why women's experiences in sport should be included in the curriculum of schools.
From the Paper "When I first read the call for papers about literature as a force for understanding or equipment for living, I recalled my own intersection with literature. For isn't the reader experience with text the initial sounding board? The ground zero for literature experience? And isn't our experience with literature a method of transference? So I couldn't help but wonder how influential my interpretation of what I read when I was young led to real life experiences, indeed life-altering experiences, as I grew up. Was I enacting my favorite characters or was I re-inventing myself, or is there a difference? Does what we read shape our vision of who we might become? If that is the case, then there is strong rationale for including sports stories about girls and women in school curriculum."
Abstract In this essay, the writer looks at the barriers women encounter and the struggles they endure in order to participate in sports. The writer makes use of fashion issues to illustrate this point. Billie Jean King is also used as an example in this discussion. Further, the writer discusses the U.S. Women's World Cup soccer team in this paper.
From the Paper "As the saying goes 'winners never quit and quitters never win'. In no other arena is this truer than that of women's sports. The struggle for women to gain equal respect, equal pay and equal opportunity in sporting events has been raging for centuries and indeed rages on still even in this progressive twenty-first century. The battle for athletic equity is especially well-illustrated by examining the emphasis of women's sporting fashion, by highlighting the strides of Billie Jean King as a pioneer in women's ..."
Tags:sports, women, equality, Billie Jean King, US Women's world Cup, AAGPBL
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 This paper examines the issue of gender and racial discrimination in sport both at college as well as professional level. It attempts to dispel the myths regarding women equality and meritocracy in sports, such that women earn through professional as well as college sports as much as their male counterparts. It examines the struggles involving women recognition in sports through the history of basketball which evolved in 1891 but only allowed women players in 1971 and the differences in women participation in college sports and professional sports. The paper also outlines the racial desegregation of college and professional sports, bringing out the similarities and the differences to that of gender bias.
From the Paper "Though women face various challenges in the name of discrimination in sports oriented activities and career advancements, women in college sports face less resistance due to the fact that at college level, friendships and relationships are more sound and meaningful than at a professional level where shrewd politics dominate the sports scenario and extreme resistance is faced by women who are professional athletes. Moreover, in college sports, due to combined activities, women get more or less the same facilities and coaching aid that their male friends receive. Alternately, women athletes on a professional level are struggling hard to receive better or equal facilities than men athletes."
Abstract The paper explores how, over the past decade, women's athletics has seen an exceptional increase in popularity. While "traditional" women's sportssuch as tennis, gymnastics and ice-skating have always been popular among the American public, other sports such as soccer, basketball and boxing are gaining new fans. The paper shows, however, that the popularity of women in sports has not been an overnight phenomenon. It explores how women athletes have been slowly knocking down barriers for decades, from Wilma Rudolph (track) to Billie Jean King (tennis) to Nancy Lieberman Kline (basketball), women athletes have done more than just compete, that have campaigned for the inclusion of women in sports and have been outstanding advocates for women in athletics. This paper explores the rise of women's participation in athletics and how the present day has witnessed the best support for women athletes in American history.
From the Paper "Undeniably, women have made remarkable strides in athletics. Women athletes have much more issues to conquer than their male counterparts. For example, male athletes do not have to deal with sexism and a culture that prevents them from realizing their true potential. A revolutionary law, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity at any educational institution that is a recipient of federal funds. Since the enacting Title IX there has been over an eight hundred percent increase in athletics participation among high school girls. The increase in the number of females participating in sports at all levels from elementary school to professional athletes lies in the paradigm shift in our shared values and beliefs."
Abstract 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."
Abstract This is a paper about internet marketing research, and uses Nike and it's women's products as a case study to show how this is an effective marketing tool in today's market. The paper gives a brief history of Nike, and looks at its share of the women's market, it's competitors and different ways in which Nike has tried to distinguish itself from the other companies in the women's market.
From the Paper "Now we see more and more women becoming physically active and we also see more women's sports being acknowledged, such as the Women's National Basketball Association. Our views towards women as athletes are finally changing for the better. Nike picked up on this and realized that they had a new market to really focus on. Nike Goddess was developed through a very solid marketing strategy, which had much research, and planning behind it. The site should do very well with these young female "Gen-Xers" and "Gen-Yers"."
Abstract This paper evaluates the sports market in the US in terms of a macro environment (country economy level) and micro environment (firm/consumer level). The paper discusses the growing importance of sports for community and looks at this through an economic and social perspective. It discusses revenue trends, employment, number of companies, industry pattern, trade balance and sports consumption, as well as sports being part of American education and playing an important role for communities.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter I - Country Overview - PEST Analysis
a. Political Factors
b. Economic factors
c. Social Factors
d. Technological Factors
Chapter 2 - Sport Importance and Expansion in the USA
a. Sport Importance
b. Sport Expansion
Chapter 3 - Typical Sporting Disciplines and American Model of Sports a. Typical Sporting Disciplines
b. American Model of Sports Chapter 4 - Sports Market Analysis and Impact on the American Economy
a. Sports Market Analysis
b. Impact on the American Economy
Chapter 5 - Sports Market Size in the USA and Business Operations
a. Sports Market Size in the USA
b. Business Operations (Distribution, Pricing, Retailing)
Chapter 6 - Retail Channel, Athletes, Brands and Major Key Industry Players
a. Products, Services and Goods
b. Athletes
c. Brands
d. Profile of Major Sporting Companies
Chapter 7 - The Sports Industry in the USA
a. Sports Media
b. Sports Marketing
c. Sports Broadcasting
Chapter 8 - Sports Infrastructure, Facilities and Stadiums and Retail Channel Network
a. Sports Infrastructure
b. Facilities and Stadiums
c. Goods and Equipment Retail Channel Network
Chapter 9 - Textile & Apparel Market in India
a. Introduction
b. Indian Textile and Apparel Market Analysis
c. Issues in the Indian Textile and Apparel Sector
Chapter 10 - Conclusion
From the Paper "The industry growth, due mainly to team sports' popularity highlights the American sports preferences towards the four main sports categories: football, baseball, basketball and hockey. In the same time, overall sports participation slightly decreased in the last decade despite increased popularity among new individual sports, such as golf or aerobics/fitness. This may translate into a shift of the basic sports consumer from an active participant role to a passive viewer role. The technological advancement that enables sports fans nationwide and international to view their favorite games/players from thousands of miles away on a variety of channels, such as TV, internet or phone may be one of the explanations behind this trend."
Abstract Sports has become a central part of society, introduced to children at a young age and often continuing to be part of a person's life throughout their lifetime. Sports impacts on people in a number of ways. The paper shows that in childhood, the focus of sports is often on participating, working with other people and aspiring to be the best one can be. Successful sports people also become heroes for children, something that continues into adulthood. The paper shows that as individuals grow older their focus may change from playing sports to watching sports. At the same time, sports people continue to be respected and viewed as heroes, the fact that successful sports people get paid millions in sponsorship money is evidence that they must have a major impact on consumers. Overall, this paper looks at what sports represents and the values it communicates to people.
From the Paper "Sport is also closely related to a person's life in society in a general way. In sport, people compete against each other to win. In a person's working life the same thing occurs. A person works against others in the workplace to earn individual rewards and promotions. A person also works as part of the company team, to grow the company. The same occurs in schools where students works in competition with each other to receive awards. Students then work to get into college, with the best students winning the college place. This illustrates one of the main aspects central to sports, the competition factor inherent to sport. This also shows how this competition factor inherent in sports is also one inherent in life. This is another major reason why sport reflects society."
Abstract This paper presents an overview of sports in the U.S. and how sports has become a commercial industry in itself. The paper explains that America seems to commercialize everything, and with the overwhelming support for national sports, this too has become a vibrant and profitable sector of the consumer economy. The paper looks at the monetary value of sports in the U.S. and explores the benefits and down-side to mass-produced commercial sporting entities.
From the Paper "Most professional team sports play a series of games instead of one to decide the championship. For this reason, the Super Bowl is unique in American professional sports. Football has typically been viewed as the toughest team sport with large men playing a full contact sport that makes the entertainment value extremely high for sports fans. These factors make the Super Bowl a unique and powerful entertainment package that appeals to sports fans like no other championship game can. For this reason, the Super Bowl is the most commercialized event in sports. The commercialization of the Super Bowl makes it a grandiose event. People who are not even football fans watch the Super Bowl for the creative commercial broadcasting. As a result, the Super Bowl generates the creative commercialization process that increases fervor for material things and greatly influences pop culture."
Tags: superbowl, football, basketball, advertising, culture, extreme, television
Abstract This paper explores the benefits of sport for the American people. As well as the obvious fitness benefits, the writer believes there are developmental benefits of sport which provide the American society with an integral part of their culture. Other topics discussed include the economic benefits of sport as well as the history of sport in American society.
From the Paper "In American history, sports figure as an important institution that has always determined the American popular culture. America's history is not complete without a detailed depiction of the lifestyle and living conditions of its people, which is often determined through the activities that people involve themselves in. These activities are often associated physical and mental in nature, which requires an individual's physiological faculties to function appropriately. These activities are identified as sports activities, wherein people interact with each other and develop themselves personally through physical and mental exercise."
Tags: exercise, fitness, football, basketball, baseball, united, states
Abstract The roles of urban politics in professional sports has played a significant and influential part in the daily activities that encompass a city. This paper explains how sports is often a way for people of different races, backgrounds, and occupations to come together for one common purpose. In times of hardship and struggle, people can usually turn to sports to find a sense of stability and peace. It explains how, although the issues facing professional sports are rather insignificant when compared to the larger issues our nation faces each day, they are nevertheless still important.
From the Paper "Today, more than ever, politics plays a major role in the world of American professional sports. Politics influence the way professional sports organizations are operated in every American metropolis. The governments of municipalities across the United States face many issues regarding the four major American sports leagues: Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL). City governments are faced with issues such as small and large market controversy, stadium and arena financing, franchise relocation and contraction, and the amount of tax dollars that should be allocated to each team."
