Chapter 1
1. Win at all costs means that no matter what the circumstances are, one puts winning ahead of anything else including the principles we live by. This attitude as Delaney and Madigan state, “leads to elitism, sexism, racism, nationalism, extreme competitiveness, abuse of drugs, gambling, and a number of other deviant behaviors.” We have seen this “win at all costs” mentality in many of the most highly recognized athletes in sports today. Alex Rodriguez was found to have used steroids in an effort to boost his performance. Tiger Woods put himself through unbearable pain by playing the U.S. Open with a torn ligament in his knee.
2. As Delaney and Madigan state, sport helps one “understand the positive aspects of societies such as cooperation, hard work, dedication, loyalty, understanding rules, and ethical norms.” The sport world also provides insight on “racism, sexism, labor struggles, structured inequality, and so forth.” Participants of sport are able to build character because they are able to experience and learn about these different factors first hand while playing in a particular sport.
3. The athlete was not “cut” due to their own personal shortcoming. There are reasons beyond his/her control for why they were “cut.” The player is only a small part of the larger structure of the organization and although the outcome affects the individual’s life for the bad, it is a norm and risk in sport that athletes are aware of when they join a team.
4. Cockfighting is only ethical if it is part of one’s culture. In America, football has become a part of our culture even though every weekend men risk injury and even death by playing the game. Although cockfighting is controversial throughout the world and results in at least the death of one bird, if it is apart of Afghanistan’s national sports than in that particular area it would be ethical.
5. Sports play a large part in many people’s lives and are a part of our culture. As stated in my answer to question two, sport identifies many issues that are a common problem in society as a whole. Racism, sexism, and other issues that are factors in the world today, are sometimes best portrayed on the field, court, course, etc. Having so many popular films dealing with issues in sport has both positive and negative outcomes. Films such as Remember the Titans and Glory Road portray racism in sports and in society, yet these films and many others always seem to end with a happy ending. Many of the stories told through film are not accurate and viewers are not presented with all of the facts. Although sport films present important issues that occur both on and off the field, they alone should not be what members of society base their beliefs around.
6. Vince Lombardi’s quote “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing,” is a quote that should only be followed by those in professional organizations. Winning and making money is the sole purpose for any professional organization and the way to make money is by winning. This concept should not be used in most of the circumstances dealing with sports. Sports played for fun, recreation, intramurals, and by nonprofessionals should follow the saying that “It isn’t if you win or lose, it is how you play the game.” In these settings, although winning is a goal for each individual, it is not the only reason for participating and playing.
Chapter 2
1. Play is most important during the early years of one’s life because as a child you develop and learn a lot by playing and interacting and learning from yourself and with others. “Play” has a large part to do with making a human complete but there are other factors that must also be considered to make a life complete. To other factors that come to mind when thinking of what is needed to make a human complete are work and love. All people are different, and for some, maybe play is all they need, but in general, play alone, is not enough to be a fulfilled individual.
2. Sports can be an opiate for some people but not for others. Those who use sports as a way to “escape” from real life would consider sports as an opiate. These people use sports as a way to release energy and emotions.
3. Men and women both compete and strive to be successful. For the most part, men and women play in the same sports and work equally hard to accomplish their goals. Those goals range from simply improving to winning a championship.
Chapter 3
1. The earliest sports in Egypt were running, swimming, archery, and mancala.
2. Pankration is defined as complete strength or complete victory and comes from Greece. Competitors would fight using a number of different strategies and techniques until one fighter could not fight anymore. This is similar to the Ultimate Fighting because the fighters use a number of different martial arts techniques and the winner is determined when one of the fighters cannot fight due to tap out or injury.
3. The Olympics were originally a religious festival honoring the Greek God Zeus. Many people believe the Olympic games in Greece to be historic and significant events in the history of the world. The games in reality were seen as racist, sexist, and elitist. The games were for Greeks only, women were not allowed to compete, and only the wealthy could participate.
4. The Romans were more focused on their military development and training than with sports. It was the Roman who originated the gladiator fighting as a means for entertainment. Rome ignored all sport traditions and created a sport based on death and ignored sportsmanship.
5. Chivalry is based on specific qualities including bravery, curiosity, honor, and gallantry to woman. These were the qualities idealized by the knights during the middle ages. To prove and show their chivalry, knights would participate in medieval tournaments by jousting.
6. Puritans viewed sports as a distraction to the more important things in their lives such as religion, family, etc. Sports were forbidden on Sunday and fishing and hunting were only allowed if it was to find food or to rid the colony of vermin.
7. The Industrial Revolution helped established a framework for sports. The IR incorporated rules, standardization, and power. Rules are important for the safety of players and for fairness. Rules make the playing field equal and make the sports themselves easier to understand and play.
8. Extreme sports are nontraditional, and usually involve more risk and creativity.
Chapter 4
1. Sports figures represent society major ways. Society looks at sports figures as role models and leaders. We place these athletes on pedestals and try and follow their actions. When a sports figure makes a mistake it is a huge headline because we do not view sports figures in a negative light.
2. Material cultures refer to tangible components of a culture such as cars, clothing, and money. In sports material cultures would be merchandise, revenue, and star players. Non material cultures refer to beliefs, ideologies, and values. In sports non material cultures would be team beliefs and values.
3. The use of symbols in sports is very important. Symbols help both fans and players. Each sport has its own symbols that represented different aspects of the sport. In football, players use signals for different plays, in baseball players use fingers for different pitches and outs, etc.
4. Red Sox Nation is a group of Red Sox fans who attend Red Sox events each year wearing Red Sox merchandise. The Orange Empire is a group of fanatic Syracuse University fans.
5. After Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints football team helped bring the community back together. New York City is divided with both Mets and Yankees fans.
6. Franchises bring in jobs, revenue for the city, and make the area a “big league” area. I agree with Lupica’s suggestions and suggest teams implement his ideas.
7. Sports Figures have to do more than play sports to be a hero. A hero is someone who sacrifices their time and energy to make something in the world better. Anyone can be a hero. Sports Figures can be heroes if they use the fame, power, and money they receive from playing sports and put it towards helping others and the environment.
8. People tend to show sympathy for athletes even when they make mistakes. Much of society does not care what athletes do off the field as long as they produce on the field.
Chapter 5
1. Television, radio, internet, and other sources can teach you about an athlete. A majority of the athletes that I admire I have not seen play. I have never watched Walter Payton, Jackie Robinson, or Ali play in their sport but I still admire and respect them for what they did for their sport and also for society in general. Many athletes stand out not just because they are great athletes, but because they influence society off the field.
2. The socialization process helps a person learn what their athletic skills are by practicing, interacting with others, etc. Parents help their children learn about sports, peers help one learn about teamwork, and coaches teach how to fine tune skills. Schools provide an organized system for play and the community gives its support. The media helps recognize sports.
3. “Internalize” social messages refers to doing things that will make a person like a particular team or player based on opinions. The best example of this would be a father son relationship where the father influences his son to like his favorite team.
4. There are “naturally born athletes.” These particular individuals are born with specific talents that 99.9% of the rest of the world do not have. Not all of these individuals utilize these talents, but those who do, usually find success.
5. An elite athlete can handle the pressure put on them. They are successful and also make those around them better. A marginal athlete can have great statistics but cannot handle the pressure at times. A marginal athlete must rely on others to find success. Peyton Manning is an elite athlete. He wins in the big games and makes every player on his team better. Even when he lost his #1 receiver this year he has lead the Colts to a perfect 13-0 record.
6. Some children will follow the paths of their parents while others will want to create their own path. It really depends on the parents and their children.
7. Participation in sports for children teaches them about working with others and following a set of rules. Sports teach children how to work hard and never give up. This can be beneficial but also harmful. If parents push their children too hard, or create the belief that winning is the only important thing, children will not have fun and will not learn any of the valuable traits associated with playing sports.
8. Yes, children are becoming lazy and fat and schools need to stress the importance of physical activity.
9. Sports are an athlete’s life and without it they have nothing else to fall back on. Rocky should have retired after the fourth movie. 10. A “fraternal bond” is made when a team comes together and everyone puts the team before themselves.
Chapter 6
1. No, the league did not have the right to eliminate the team because they were too good. The message sent to the other teams was that winning was the only thing important and if you can’t win you shouldn’t play.
2. Participation in sports for children teaches them about working with others and following a set of rules. Sports teach children how to work hard and never give up. This can be beneficial but also harmful. If parents push their children too hard, or create the belief that winning is the only important thing, children will not have fun and will not learn any of the valuable traits associated with playing sports.
3. Children become stronger both mentally and physically by playing sports. Children learn how to play through pain and exhaustion. Teaching children about the sport prior to them playing on a team is important. Making sure that children are eating and drinking good foods is also important.
4. Formal sports are organized whereas informal sports are spur-of-the-moment events. Formal sports have coaches, teams that practice and have uniforms, and have a schedule. Informal sports are more like pick-up games. More and more people do not have time to play in formal sports but play in informal sports when they have time.
5. Sports do build character. Players learn how to work with others and how to compete against others. Sports teach us how to lose and also win.
Chapter 7
1. Academic achievement should be the first priority for a student athlete because in most cases, that student athlete will not turn professional and will need academics to get them a job. If a student athlete focuses entirely on athletics and does not get drafted or gets injured they will not have anything to fall back on and will not be able to find a successful career off of the field.
2. Some of the pluses for participating in interscholastic sporting events are that you make a lot of friends on the team and are recognized by your peers as an athlete. Some of the minuses for participating in interscholastic sporting events are that you have a limited time for academic work and risk serious injury.
3. Athletic trainers are the “doctors” for a sports team. These are the people athletes go to for medical help. Trainers are important because they know if a player is healthy enough to play and can provide assistance and help for those who get injured or recovering from an injury.
4. The NCAA is the National Colligate Athletic Association. The NCAA was formed to prevent cheating, corruption and to enforce rules and regulations. The NCAA’s chief functions today are to assure fair playing of college sports while maintaining new ideals of sportsmanship and concepts of fair play.
5. Possible recruitment violations included providing misinformation and offering incentives such as money, cars, etc. The NCAA has a rule that enforces proper recruiting techniques.
6. No, student athletes have the choice whether they want to play a sport or not. Many student athletes are given scholarships to play a particular sport.
7. Hazing is done in a lot of sports. This is usually done to rookies or players who are not liked. This is a concern because people can be seriously hurt both physically and mentally due to hazing. Coaches and captains of teams need to address hazing and make sure that it does not happen on their team.
Chapter 8
1. Deviance’s definition varies based on the person who is trying to define the word. The definition is based on what a person believes is an acceptable behavior.
2. Deviant cheating is when someone is committing a violation intentionally for something in return for their act. An example would be if a player intentionally missed the game winning shot to get a car. Normative cheating is when you break the rules without intending to gain a reward or advantage. An example would be when a player holds in football but is not flagged for it.
3. Coaches can encourage players to take steroids or other performance enhancing drugs.
4. Pete Rose should be inducted to the Hall of Fame. Pete Rose committed deviant cheating yet his numbers are better than just about anyone who has ever played the game. Pete Rose admitted what he did and apologized to the public for his actions. His actions had such a large effect on baseball because he was one of the games greats. Baseball did not want to be recognized for allowing a cheater in their “Hall.”
5. Performance enhancing drugs gives players an unfair advantage on the field.
6. Gambling though bookies is unethical but gambling in legal environments such as at a casino or online is ethical if it is allowed by law.
7. Athletes are viewed as special figures in society and are placed on pedestals. Athletes are given privileges and are not made accountable for their actions many times. This leads to athletes taking advantage of the legal system and committing deviant acts because they simply can.
Chapter 9
1. Intimidation is behavior that involves words, gestures and actions that sometimes may threaten violence or aggression in an attempt to pressure and put fear in the opponent. Aggression is verbal and physical behavior grounded in the intent to successfully accomplish a task even if it means to dominate, control, or harm, physically or psychologically, an opponent. Violence entails great physical force used intentionally by one person to cause another person harm or aggressive behavior which destroys the property of another. Intimidation is when a linebacker in football yells at the quarterback before the snap that he is coming to destroy him. Aggression is when a linebacker sacks a quarterback. Violence is when a linebacker hits a quarterback after the play is over.
2. Tackling in football is an example of something that would seem to be violent but in reality is not. Tackling is part of the game and players are aware that they are going to be hit. Players have equipment to protect them and practice getting hit so they are ready for it during the game.
3. Athletes can talk trash and threaten players with words. This is part of the game as well even though it does not show sportsmanship.
4. Violence in sport is accepted for particular sports (football, boxing, hockey, etc.) Violence is part of the rules but players accept it and are aware that it occurs. Violence in society is not accepted because it is not controllable like it is in sports.
5. Yes, boxers chose to be boxers and accept the fact that they will be punched by another boxer. Boxing has rules and limits that all boxers must follow.
6. No, but spectator violence does exist. The cause for this behavior is a mix of alcohol and fan loyalty. When fans from opposing teams are close together, words often are spoken and violence usually ensues.
7. No, this is a ritual that I never understood. Tearing down the goal post could be very dangerous and also does not give the school a good image. The school is basically saying that it is ok to destroy school property if we win a game.
8. Civility in sports is very important and always will be. Showing respect to your opponent and playing by the rules of the game is something that should be enforced at all levels.
Chapter 10
1. Little boys and little girls should be able to play with whatever toys they wish to play with. Boys and girls that are playing with toy soldiers and dolls should not be stereotyped. These children are too young to care about what is right and wrong and should be left to learn about what they like and what they want to play with.
2. Sex refers to one’s biological classification. Gender refers to socially determined expectations placed on individuals because of their sexual category. Gender is significant in the discussion of women in sports due to the fact that when discussing gender men are expected to act masculine, but women are expect to act feminine which does not involve participating in sports.
3. Gender stratification is the unequal access to power, prestige, and wealth on the basis of sex. We see this in politics and in the workplace all of the time. Men tend to be in positions of power and wealth and women are either at their side or below them. In politics we have yet to have a female president.
4. Myths that have been created over the years about women in sports is that women do not have the strength and/or mentality to play in sports at a high level, their body types do not fit the normal standard, and that they wouldn’t be able to bear children after participating. These myths came about from gender stratification and the belief that women were weaker and slower than men. Women have proven that they can be successful in sports and have been able to play with men and win. A majority of the women in sports are able to raise families and still be successful.
5. The feminist movement was going on during the 1970s and many women were seeking equal opportunities. Billy Jean King was a major driving force for gender equality and the Battle of the Sexes helped movements such as Title IX. Title IX was started to help gender equity and pushed to give females equal opportunities to be educated and to participate in school sponsored events. Pros are that many more females have been given the opportunity to participate in a number of sports and programs that schools offer. A con is that schools do not have the money to fund all of the programs for both men and women.
6. No, both men and women can handle pressure and stress from high pressure jobs.
7. Aesthetic fitness is when a female athlete does whatever means necessary to look their best. This usually leads to eating disorders and unhealthy physical conditions.
8. Cheerleading is a legitimate sport when there is competition involved. Cheerleaders who simply go to a sporting event and cheer for their team are not athletes. Cheerleaders who practice and go to competitions are athletes.
Chapter 11
1. Black athletes are known for their speed and quickness and not for their throwing ability.
2. An ethnic group is a category of people who are recognized as a distinct group based on social or cultural factors. A race is a group of people who share some socially recognized physical characteristic that distinguished them from other groups of people and are recognized by themselves and others as a distinct group.
3. Discrimination is a behavior that treats people unequally on the basis of an ascribed status, such as race or gender. Prejudice is negative beliefs and overgeneralizations concerning a group of people which involves a judgment against someone based on a rigid and fixed mental image of some group of people that is applied to all individuals of that group. Jackie Robinson and the African American race faced discrimination when trying to play baseball.
4. All “groups” are made the same. Everyone is born with different abilities and skills and there is not a particular race that stands above the rest when it comes to abilities. A lot of the reasons that people excel is due to the situation that they are in. These people usually are given great opportunities (good school, healthy food, etc.).
5. The wealthy are those who own, and for many years the wealthy were white. Owners are the people who hire managers and coaches and since the owners are white, they hire white managers and coaches. More and more, we are seeing minority coaches and managers but still few owners. Leagues are implementing rules that require interviewing minorities for positions. Minority coaches have been successful in a number of sports and we should continue to see more and more minorities in positions of power.
6. The use of Native American images in sports is racial. It is degrading and inappropriate for sports teams to use names and images from an actual culture.
Chapter 12
1. No, student athletes have the choice whether they want to play a sport or not. Many student athletes are given scholarships to play a particular sport.
2. Sports are entertainment. We enjoy watching sports and spend our own time and money to attend and watch sporting events because they are exciting, fun, and memorable.
3. Yes, buying a product endorsed by an athlete makes you feel like you are more like that athlete. If an athlete endorses a product but does not use it than I consider that to be false advertising. When an athlete endorses a product they are making a statement that they use the product. Tiger Woods endorses Nike Golf. Nike Golf is as popular as it is simply because of Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods endorsing golf is appropriate. If Tiger Woods endorsed the Apple Computer it would not make as much sense.
4. Yes, sex sells and many athletes are known for their perfect bodies. Sex makes people interested and attracts viewers.
5. “Collusion” is a secret undertaking by two or more people engaged in for the purpose of fraud. MLB owners do not have antitrust litigations which makes it very easy for them to engage in acts of collusion. Acts of collusion in baseball include suppressing the pay of free agents and placing a maximum ceiling on salaries.
6. Owners have to do what is best for the organization. An owner will usually not get consent from the original city if they plan on leaving the city. If the team is not producing revenue and/or attendance figures are dramatically low, the owner might have to leave the original city whether they like it or not.
Chapter 13
1. The U.S. should not have stayed out of the Olympic Games. Doing this would have disappointed the athletes but more importantly would have created more issues between the two countries that were already on uneasy ground. The Soviets actions were childish and did nothing but make the country look bad.
2. Sports, particularly in schools, should be subsidized by government money because sports are important and needed in order to teach young people about being active, living a healthy life, and learning fundamental personal traits.
3. People stand behind their country and show patriotism for their home team during international events. Citizens should be able to identify with their sports teams. These events give citizens a way to show their support for their country.
4. An athlete is a role model to many and is viewed as a leader by teammates and fans. An athlete portrays abilities on the field such as leadership, teamwork, determination, etc. that would be needed in a political position. Politics and sports are a lot different from one another and just because an athlete has traits needed to be in politics, it does not mean that they are the right person for the job.
5. The Olympic goals have become too lofty. The Olympics do not promote international cooperation and do not alleviate world tension. If anything, the games build competition between nations and are a stage for countries to voice problems and start controversy.
Chapter 14
1. Some fans are very religious and do believe that God can help their team win. Each person has a different belief system and some fans do believe that praying will better their team’s chances of winning.
2. Sacred items are objects and behaviors that are deemed part of the spiritual realm and are set apart from the ordinary; they are worshipped. Profane items are the ordinary, mundane, commonplace items of society. In reality a baseball or a football are just pieces of equipment used to play a sport. Society views baseballs, footballs, etc. used by professional players as sacred items. A simple polo shirt worn by Tiger Woods sells for thousands of dollars and is worshipped as a collector’s item by many.
3. A sports hall of fame is a place where a sport can recognize greatness. It is a place where people can come and worship the best players of a particular sport. I don’t feel that a hall of fame has a religious connotation. Most people go to a hall of fame once or twice in their lifetime for the experience and to see history.
4. Sports do bring people together. There are people who feel at home when they are at a sporting event. These people live for their team or their sport. I can see sport being a religion to some. People believe in their team and put their faith in a team.
5. I think that it should be allowed but not mandatory for any athlete to take part in. It should be left up to the athletes whether or not they want to pray before or after a game.
6. A lot of the athletic superstitions that I have heard of involve eating a particular meal before a game or listening to a certain song or band. Prior to every football game I would go to a local dinner for breakfast with fellow teammates.
Chapter 15
1. Sports are a form of entertainment. I do not think that this is significant.
2. No, people enjoy watching sporting events and sporting events are entertainment. If anything I feel that reality television shows are on television too much. The only time that I feel sports should not be played is when there is a political speech or worldwide news story.
3. Sports and media benefit from one another. Media helps inform the public about sporting events and headlines and sports gives media interesting stories and hot topics. Media can blow things out of proportion and can make sports seem more important than other topics such as world events.
4. We focus way too much on individual athlete’s life. The media makes it seem that people care more about athlete’s lives than their own life. Athletes are recognizable figures but they should be given their privacy off of the field. Does it really matter who Tiger Woods is sleeping with?
Chapter 16
1. Participating in sports is mainly a positive experience. Win or lose, sports gives people an opportunity to be part of a team and to feel like they have accomplished something. Sports makes people feel good about themselves and provides them with an opportunity to escape reality.
2. Americans are becoming very lazy and do not utilize the time that they have. With the economy struggling, people are spending more time working or going back to school and are putting off everything else. With all of the technological advances such as flat screen televisions and high speed internet, people are using their leisure time on the couch and at the computer instead of going to the gym or playing a pickup game. People like things that are easy (fast food, renting a movie, etc), and stay away from things that involve too much work (going to the gym, cooking a meal, etc.). It is truly up to the individual to counter this trend. Everyone makes their own decisions and if people want to be fat and lazy it is their own decision.
3. Physical education should be mandatory in schools. If it is not a required class the education system is basically telling students that physical activity and exercise is not important for them. For many students, P.E. class is where students are introduced to a lot of sports and taught how to play them.
4. Sportsmanship is showing respect to your opponents and everyone else associated with the sport (officials, coaches, fans, etc.) Sportsmanship is shown by helping others, congratulating others, and playing by the rules. Professional athletes, coaches, and parents should help teach young athletes about sportsmanship so that they show it throughout their career.
