Sunday, January 30, 2011
Topic for Position Paper #1
Is the media hurting or helping baseball to stay America's favorite sport? By looking at TV ratings, commercial time and cost for each sport, ticket sales, and average stadium attendance records we will be able to critically develop an outcome.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Response to "Pure Heart"
Pure Heart
Sporting Heritage/Sport and Media
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005832/1/index.htm
2/3/11
This article was about the famous racehorse Secretariat. He won the Triple Crown in 1973. The article goes into detail about the last year of his racing career. Secretariat was a very well trained race horse that came from a very well established pedigree. His father had been a great racer during his time. Early on it was realized that Secretariat was going to be one of the best race horses of all time. It mentions early on in the article that during his necropsy they discover what had made him such a great race horse. He had a heart twice the size of a normal horse heart. Was more blood pumping through his body what allowed him to win as he did or did he just have his full heart to win those races. The writer explains how he had thought it would be a good idea to keep a journal of the races and days before the races he was to run in New York. By doing this he became close to the horse, leaving the lasting impression of the race horse in his mind like a child of his own. He loved this horse and enjoyed watching him perform his magic on the track. He came to know the personality of this horse and had many stories to tell about him. He devoted these months to capture this amazing horse in hopes that he would pull off the feat that he did when winning the Triple Crown. By spending time with the horse on a regular basis his faith in the horse grew. He saw him beat records and be playful. This young horse captured many fans in the races in New York. The race at the Wood Memorial questioned many of these fans, even the author. Secretariat did not perform well in this race of the few days before the race. Many people questioned him of his abilities to race in the major races. They did not know if he would follow in his father's footsteps and not perform at this level or if he would get it together and succeed. The rider had faith in him after learning the truth of why he had done so poorly in the Wood race. Secretariat had a sore in his mouth that was very discomforting to him. He did not want to race so he did just that; didn't perform. After the next race everyone gained their confidence back in him after he set a new track and Kentucky Derby record at 1:59. He went on to win the next two races, the Preakness and the Belmont, and set new records in both. Later the author finds out that his beloved racehorse is going to have to be put down because of an incurable infection that was causing him a lot of pain.
This article was very interesting to read. The only horse race I have seen was in the movie Seabiscuit. This horse sound like a hero to many people of the horse racing world. he was a great legend that many people will never forget. He did the unimaginable and won the Triple Crown. Not only did he win these races but he broke the records in them as well. I think it would have been exciting to watch these races take place and be caught up in the drama of what the races would hold. After reading this article i went on Youtube and watched videos of this amazing horse. It was interesting to see how far he actually was in front of his opponents in the final Belmont race. he completely blew his opponents out of the water. Here is a link to watch the video of this race: Secretariat Triple Crown Winner: Belmont Stakes
Sporting Heritage/Sport and Media
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005832/1/index.htm
2/3/11
This article was about the famous racehorse Secretariat. He won the Triple Crown in 1973. The article goes into detail about the last year of his racing career. Secretariat was a very well trained race horse that came from a very well established pedigree. His father had been a great racer during his time. Early on it was realized that Secretariat was going to be one of the best race horses of all time. It mentions early on in the article that during his necropsy they discover what had made him such a great race horse. He had a heart twice the size of a normal horse heart. Was more blood pumping through his body what allowed him to win as he did or did he just have his full heart to win those races. The writer explains how he had thought it would be a good idea to keep a journal of the races and days before the races he was to run in New York. By doing this he became close to the horse, leaving the lasting impression of the race horse in his mind like a child of his own. He loved this horse and enjoyed watching him perform his magic on the track. He came to know the personality of this horse and had many stories to tell about him. He devoted these months to capture this amazing horse in hopes that he would pull off the feat that he did when winning the Triple Crown. By spending time with the horse on a regular basis his faith in the horse grew. He saw him beat records and be playful. This young horse captured many fans in the races in New York. The race at the Wood Memorial questioned many of these fans, even the author. Secretariat did not perform well in this race of the few days before the race. Many people questioned him of his abilities to race in the major races. They did not know if he would follow in his father's footsteps and not perform at this level or if he would get it together and succeed. The rider had faith in him after learning the truth of why he had done so poorly in the Wood race. Secretariat had a sore in his mouth that was very discomforting to him. He did not want to race so he did just that; didn't perform. After the next race everyone gained their confidence back in him after he set a new track and Kentucky Derby record at 1:59. He went on to win the next two races, the Preakness and the Belmont, and set new records in both. Later the author finds out that his beloved racehorse is going to have to be put down because of an incurable infection that was causing him a lot of pain.
This article was very interesting to read. The only horse race I have seen was in the movie Seabiscuit. This horse sound like a hero to many people of the horse racing world. he was a great legend that many people will never forget. He did the unimaginable and won the Triple Crown. Not only did he win these races but he broke the records in them as well. I think it would have been exciting to watch these races take place and be caught up in the drama of what the races would hold. After reading this article i went on Youtube and watched videos of this amazing horse. It was interesting to see how far he actually was in front of his opponents in the final Belmont race. he completely blew his opponents out of the water. Here is a link to watch the video of this race: Secretariat Triple Crown Winner: Belmont Stakes
Response to "Ode to Southern Football"
Ode to Southern Football
Sporting Heritage
2/1/11
This article started off with the author daydreaming and longing for his beloved football season to come back to him. He explains in the article that football in the South is a way of life for many people. They have their idols, heroes, teams, and coaches that they all sit and think about from time to time. Remembering the moments that made history for them and what they were feeling then; wanting to feel that way again. Football fans all over the South have a strong desire to be at every event that has to do with the football season. They stand in the crowds screaming and cheering for the coaches and players like they were little kids at their first game. Most of these diehard fans plan their lives around the schedule of their team. They know better than to even think about planning a wedding during football season unless they plan on not having any guest attend. Fans live and die with the hopes and dreams of the season. All hoping that their team will be the best this year. That maybe they can keep the conversations going for these fans long after the last play has been made for the season. This time in waiting for the next season to begin is like a lifetime for these fans. All they have is their memories of the previous season to keep them going until the next one begins. Football in the South has a deep meaning for these faithful fans. They believe that in some way the games allow them to seek revenge on battles of the past and to let them feel a sense of greatness and accomplishment. Those that travel to the games with their cars decked out in their teams memorabilia have their places that are true to them where they feel like they belong. They eat at the same old restaurants with the same fans every year. They have become accustomed to this way of life. They life by and follow these same rituals year after year. The wait for the new season is finally over and the fans can now feel a sense of ease. They have their life back in a sense. Their rituals can begin again and they will be there making more memories to pass the time between seasons.
This article to me showed how dedicated some fans are to their sports. I have never felt this way about a sport or teams where it is all I think about. These teams are these peoples’ lives. They even bring their family into it. Year after year these fans follow every single move the team makes. The season will either give them either positive memories and heroes, or memories that they try their hardest to never remember again and villains. Either way they will still love their team and do anything to get to see them play. They will travel far, watch the television, go to the home stadium, and spend their money so that they can keep this large part of their life going. Football season drives these Southerners throughout the year, giving them hope that they next year will be even better than the last.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Personal Sports Biography
I have been involved in sports for as long as I can remember. Growing up all of my cousins were involved in sports so we always played together. The first team that I was on was a t-ball team. I played on this team for a few seasons until I was old enough to play softball. I tried softball for a season but then decided it was not for me. The next sport that I tried was basketball. I only played one season because the coaches only played their daughters and their friends. After trying out these two sports I chose soccer because my cousin played it. I started playing soccer in second grade and still continue today. In seventh grade I decided to give basketball another try. I made the team but never played because I was not a very good shooter; the goal was just too high for me. After the disappointing season I gave up basketball for good and focused only on soccer. When I was in sixth grade I tried out for the Forsyth Fusion Select soccer team. I played with this club until I was in tenth grade. Then I tried out for the Atlanta Soccer Academy in Forsyth County. Now I have continued my soccer career here at Reinhardt.
When playing with my cousins as I child we would play baseball, football, soccer, and basketball. I always enjoyed playing these sports even though I was not the best at them. It was all about having fun with them and being competitive. I have a twin sister and we always played the same sports and always competed hard against each other at any activity. This also helped me to become more competitive.
Playing sports has left me with many memories that I reflect on from time to time. Most of these memories are positive but of course there are some negative ones too. A positive memory that I recall was when I was in about eleventh grade. We were playing soccer at the state cup tournament. We were playing one of the best teams in the state in our age group. We played defensively and were tied with them 0-0 until the last fifteen minutes of the game. As word got around of what was going on at our field many of the college coaches there recruiting came to watch our game because they wanted to know who this team was. They eventually scored and won the game but I felt great knowing that people came to watch us and not the other team. A negative time in my sports career was when I played basketball. I was not good at shooting but I was very good at stealing the ball from the other team. The coach never gave me a chance because of my shooting in practice and even during the practice I would sit there and watch the starters practice. This could help me in the future because I know the coach that I do not want to be.
My favorite sports to follow are of course soccer and sometimes football. I follow mostly the U.S. Women’s national team, the Women’s Pro Soccer League, and the U.S. Men’s national team. I also watch any other soccer game that is being played on TV. I will admit that I usually only follow football teams when they are having a good season, such as the Falcons this year. I follow these games by going to games, watching them on ESPN channels, Fox Soccer Channel, their websites, and on Facebook. Sporting events that I can’t miss are the World Cup games and when the games are going to be played on TV. My least favorite sport to follow is baseball. I do not like watching it because it is very slow paced.
One issue in sports that I find interesting is the NFL talking about adding more games to the season. Many players do not like this idea and more injuries could occur during these games before the playoffs. Also women’s coverage in sports is an issue with me because it does not pay tribute to their efforts even though they spend just as much time and energy as men just to never be seen. Alex Morgan is an athlete that I find interesting. She just graduated from the University Of California and was recently the first round pick of the WPS draft. She has been very significant in the games she has played for the National soccer team and will be a legend someday for the team. Also I find Kristine Lilly very interesting. She has played with the U.S. national soccer team since she was 15 and still plays today. She played in the shadow of Mia Hamm during most of her career but she has helped the team do great things.
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