Conclusion - Week 15

I started out taking this class because I enjoyed SM 221 and I needed another elective to fill up my schedule. Now that it's over, I can honestly say that I would have taken the class whether I needed it for an elective or not. Even though I didn't always voice my opinions on articles or video clips during the class, (mostly because there was generally one or two people who controlled conversation) I really enjoyed being able to post my reflections about subjects that we discussed on my blog.

I've learned so much in this class about how sport and gender have been constructed by our society and by the media especially. I've also been opened up to several unique issues in sport and how they have been handled or resolved by institutions such as LPGA, NBA, or other league. I've also learned about how males look at the construction of sport and gender through hearing their opinions on issues in class. Even though I didn't always agree with them, it was nice to get their perspective and a different way of looking at the issues. The thing I found most useful from class was having the videos to supplement the PowerPoint presentations. It was nice to be able to read the articles and then pick out the key points in class through the notes, but having the videos helped me the most. It was like having something to compare what I just learned to.

I would have to say that one of the readings/topics that I found most interesting was the one I talked about during our blog presentations, The River Jordan. I found this interesting because it just seemed really interesting to me that the author was comparing the type of change that Martin Luther King Jr made to the potential that Michael Jordan had. In my mind, I think that was just over the top. Martin Luther King Jr did incredible things for civil rights. Even though MJ was an amazing athlete, I think it's ridiculous for anyone to try and hold him to the standards as Dr. King. Another topic I really enjoyed was Serena and Venus Williams at Indian Wells. We discussed this topic a little bit in the 221 class I took, but we went into the topic in depth a lot more in this class. I also enjoyed reading Serena's version of what happened that day and her reactions.

Keeping a blog has already worked out great for me in this class and other classes I've taken. Normally when you take a class you might think about the topics again a little after the class, but it's not likely. With a blog, I had the opportunity to actually go back and reflect on the topics we discussed in class. The blogs also gave me the opportunity to consider my own life experiences with sport and how they compare to the topics were discussing.

My career will be in the field of event planning and tourism, but even though this class doesn't relate specifically to my career, I will definitely take the concepts we discussed with me. I also think I may be interested in doing event planning for an athletic facility someday! Besides that, I really do like the concept of keeping a blog to post my reflections, so this may be something I continue with as part of my career profile.

Who Should Get the Heisman? - Week 14

It's that time of year again... time to pick college football's most prestigious player of the year. There are five finalists nominated to receive the Heisman this Saturday in Manhattan including Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Mark Ingram, Toby Gerhart and Ndamukong Suh. This is a tough decision because these are all five great candidates that deserve to be in the running. Tebow is always a great competitor having already won the Heisman as a sophomore in 2007, this would be a great accomplishment for him to become a two time winner. McCoy has had a great season and led Texas to the BCS National Championship. He was also nominated for the Heisman last season. Suh was awarded the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player, which wasn't an easy task because he had to beat out a lot of top defensive competitors. Ingram is someone i didn't even think about when I considered Heisman nominees, but now the mix, it makes perfect sense. Ingram broke Alabama's school record for rushing yards this season and in my opinion he is really the only person who put up good numbers against Florida. This brings us to the final candidate. Gerhart is a running back from Stanford who led the nation in rushing yards this season.

When I first looked over the list of nominees, it seemed like Tebow or McCoy were most likely to receive the honor. However, I think the other contenders may give them a run for their money. More specifically, I think that Toby Gerhart just might pull it off. Even though he is from a team that will not be competing for a BCS championship, he still had a great season and he surprised everyone by coming up with all of those rushing yards! Besides that, he plays good, solid football and he can catch the ball. He also ran all over USC's defense and that's no walk in the park.

Anyways, that's just my opinion. We'll find out for sure on Saturday night!

Magic Johnson & AIDS - Week 13

In class we learned that Magic Johnson held a press conference on November 7, 1991 to announce that he had contracted the HIV virus and he would be retiring from basketball effective immediately. Even though I was only 3 years old when that happened and obviously too young to even comprehend the situation, I can see now that what he did was for the best. I admire that Magic took control of the situation and did what he had to do. It was very unfortunate timing for the athlete though. Magic Johnson was at his prime. He was a 3 time NBA MVP and his career was on the rise. Another reason I really admire Magic Johnson for is his decision to actually announce his condition to the world. Up until this point, HIV & AIDS was completely associated with homosexuals and drug use. I think this announcement really opened up the public's eyes to the severity of the HIV/AIDS situation and brought them to the realization that anyone could actually contract the virus.

Even though contracting HIV/AIDS is a devastating thing to happen to someone, Magic Johnson turned it into a learning tool and developed an empire dedicated to promoting health and well being. He created Magic Johnson Enterprises and Magic Johnson Foundation. His efforts have helped so many people since 1991 and continue to do so today.
Link to Magic Johnson's Website