I enjoy discussing current topics like Tiger Woods. He just finished up playing in the Presidents Cup held in Australia. He played well all week and actually clinched the cup for the Americans. While he is still not back to his form he was three years ago, this is a big step forward for the struggling Tiger.
Tiger has not been the same player, or viewed as the same person since the scandal that happened two years ago. He hasn't won a tournement since. Tiger has been through a lot and everyone is expecting him to still be the same golfer he was then. I don't think someone can go through everything he did and even be the same person after, let alone the same golfer. Golf is such a mental sport and it takes a while to get your head straight after something so life changing.
I'm rooting for Tiger to come back. It may take longer than everyone expects, but eventually I believe he will dominate again. I saw him golf over the summer at the Firestone Inviational in Akron. He did not play well, but he still had the biggest following. It's always interesting to see an athelete with as much auroa as Tiger Woods.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Globalizing American Sports with International Stars
America has always had global athletes in our biggest sports. The best athletes in the world normally have always came to America to play baseball, football, and basketball. Soccer stars are exported from America to Europe where the best clubs and players are, and once Canada finds something worth value, they try to hold on to it forever. The latter two are the starting point of why David Beckham and Wayne Gretzky coming to the U.S. to compete had a huge impact on culture and their respective sport.
Wayne Gretzky was traded to the L.A. kings at the height of his popularity. He was a multiple Stanley Cup champion and was already one of the best hockey players ever. This was a shock to everyone in the hockey world. He was going from the best team, to one of the worst. His fans in Edmonton felt like their whole team was traded to L.A. Canada felt like they lost a member of royalty and the whole city of L.A. had hockey fever when he came over. Gretzky put the spot light on professional hockey in America in a huge way. Youth numbers rose, attendance rose, and sheer interest in the sport rose.
I can relate to Gretzky leaving Canada from when the Browns left and went to Baltimore. Cleveland was a football city and their prized posession was taken away from them. Even though the Browns weren't as good as Gretsky, it still meant a lot to the fans.
David Beckham took advatage of his celebrity stature and came to America. He was past his prime in his soccer carrer. He came to L.A. to bring attention to soccer. His attempt wasn't a failure, but it didn't take off like it could have. I think if Beckham wasn't injured, and in his prime, soccer would have taken off like crazy. When Beckham traveled, more people did go out to see him. However, he was injured a lot and didn't get as many touches as fans wanted to see. He wasn't the great striker that he once was. On his new team, he wasn' even the best player. I never got to see him play, but would have loved to when he was at the top of his game.
Wayne Gretzky was traded to the L.A. kings at the height of his popularity. He was a multiple Stanley Cup champion and was already one of the best hockey players ever. This was a shock to everyone in the hockey world. He was going from the best team, to one of the worst. His fans in Edmonton felt like their whole team was traded to L.A. Canada felt like they lost a member of royalty and the whole city of L.A. had hockey fever when he came over. Gretzky put the spot light on professional hockey in America in a huge way. Youth numbers rose, attendance rose, and sheer interest in the sport rose.
I can relate to Gretzky leaving Canada from when the Browns left and went to Baltimore. Cleveland was a football city and their prized posession was taken away from them. Even though the Browns weren't as good as Gretsky, it still meant a lot to the fans.
David Beckham took advatage of his celebrity stature and came to America. He was past his prime in his soccer carrer. He came to L.A. to bring attention to soccer. His attempt wasn't a failure, but it didn't take off like it could have. I think if Beckham wasn't injured, and in his prime, soccer would have taken off like crazy. When Beckham traveled, more people did go out to see him. However, he was injured a lot and didn't get as many touches as fans wanted to see. He wasn't the great striker that he once was. On his new team, he wasn' even the best player. I never got to see him play, but would have loved to when he was at the top of his game.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Michael Jeffery Jordan
Michael Jeffery Jordan is regarded by many to be the best basketball player ever. I agree with this statement. Not only was he at the top of the NBA, he was at the top of the world during the 1990's. He won six NBA championships, an Olympic gold medal, and was the top endorsed athlete. Everyone around the world knew his name and recognized his face. He was one of the most famous people in the world.
Like all successful people, there are "haters" for them. I don't know how people can hate on MJ. His numbers, success, and work ethic all prove how great he really was. Not only did Michael dominate basketball, but he changed it globally forever.
I can remember being a kid and watching Michael Jordan play basketball. My family wasn't Bulls fans but my dad always told me that we won't ever see another player like MJ. I think that statement holds true today. Kobe, Lebron, and Wade are not the player that Jordan was. They are great in their own way, but if you combine all three of their talents, I think then they'll be MJ.
Like all successful people, there are "haters" for them. I don't know how people can hate on MJ. His numbers, success, and work ethic all prove how great he really was. Not only did Michael dominate basketball, but he changed it globally forever.
I can remember being a kid and watching Michael Jordan play basketball. My family wasn't Bulls fans but my dad always told me that we won't ever see another player like MJ. I think that statement holds true today. Kobe, Lebron, and Wade are not the player that Jordan was. They are great in their own way, but if you combine all three of their talents, I think then they'll be MJ.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Cricket
This week in class we discussed the sport of Cricket. While Cricket is not played too much or mainstream in the United States, it is one of the most popular sports in the world. Cricket is highly popularized in Australia, India, Pakistan, Great Britain, and Sri Lanka, just to name a few. The sport even has a world cup which was last won by Sri Lanka in 2011.
I've known a few facts about cricket such as how many players are on each team (11) and how to score. Dr. Spencer passed out a sheet of cricket rules/facts that taught me a lot. The terms were very helpful for knowing information on cricket. Wickets and creases are terms needed to know in order to understand the sport. I'm always amazed by how long a game can last. There have been games that last days. We watched a few video clips of great cricket play. The game looked as though it can get exciting and I think it could be fun to play. I've never had the chance to play before.
We then talked about the early history of baseball in America. Americans developed baseball so they could have their own sport that was theirs.
I've known a few facts about cricket such as how many players are on each team (11) and how to score. Dr. Spencer passed out a sheet of cricket rules/facts that taught me a lot. The terms were very helpful for knowing information on cricket. Wickets and creases are terms needed to know in order to understand the sport. I'm always amazed by how long a game can last. There have been games that last days. We watched a few video clips of great cricket play. The game looked as though it can get exciting and I think it could be fun to play. I've never had the chance to play before.
We then talked about the early history of baseball in America. Americans developed baseball so they could have their own sport that was theirs.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Homecoming Symposium
Friday I attended the Homecoming Symposium where I listened to a lecture by Nate Janoso. First I would just like to say that the Homecoming Symposium is a great event put on by BGSU that not only is very beneficial to Sport Management students but also many other majors. Students can benefit greatly by attending.
Nate's lecture was titled Capitalizing on Opportunities. He works for the Cleveland Indians where he is the coordinator of charity events. He talked about the different sides to working in the sports industry, specifically baseball at the Cleveland Indians. There are two different sides to working there, the business side and of course baseball operations. The business side is much more broad and has many more departments.
Nate told us what most guess speakers tell us about the sports industry. He touched on the long hours, low starting pay, competitive, and paying your dues at the beginning. But he also put together something he calls S.P.O.R.T. This stands for Skills, Preparation, Opportunities, Relentlessness, and Traits. He said this is what we all need in order to be successful in the sports industry.
Nate's lecture was titled Capitalizing on Opportunities. He works for the Cleveland Indians where he is the coordinator of charity events. He talked about the different sides to working in the sports industry, specifically baseball at the Cleveland Indians. There are two different sides to working there, the business side and of course baseball operations. The business side is much more broad and has many more departments.
Nate told us what most guess speakers tell us about the sports industry. He touched on the long hours, low starting pay, competitive, and paying your dues at the beginning. But he also put together something he calls S.P.O.R.T. This stands for Skills, Preparation, Opportunities, Relentlessness, and Traits. He said this is what we all need in order to be successful in the sports industry.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Rugby
I have always been intrigued by the conflict in South Africa and especially the heroism of Nelson Mandela. When I was much younger, I learned about the par tide that had happened in South Africa. To me, this did not make sense. I had learned that blacks were from Africa so I couldn't understand why they were made the lower class and abused by racism. After asking my teachers about it, they explained to me what had happened to the Africans. I thought it was really unfair and hated that that had happened so long. But then I learned of the great Nelson Mandela. He had fought racism his whole life and was even sentenced to prison on an island for 27 years. But then, finally when he got out of prison he went on to lead the same country that had thrown him in prision. He changed the whole country for the better.
The movie Invictious is about the story about how Mendela united the country the Rugby. I had never watched this movie but I really enjoyed the clips we watched. The clip of the Haka was a good one. I've seen the Haka in realy live performed by a New Zealander and seeing it in person is way better than on a screen. In person it is really intense and loud.
I also believe that sport should be used to make a politcal stand. Countries have been doing this for decades and it's not going to stop. It proves a point and captures peoples attention to the issue at hand. Some things might go unnoticed if it wasn't for a protest through sports.
The movie Invictious is about the story about how Mendela united the country the Rugby. I had never watched this movie but I really enjoyed the clips we watched. The clip of the Haka was a good one. I've seen the Haka in realy live performed by a New Zealander and seeing it in person is way better than on a screen. In person it is really intense and loud.
I also believe that sport should be used to make a politcal stand. Countries have been doing this for decades and it's not going to stop. It proves a point and captures peoples attention to the issue at hand. Some things might go unnoticed if it wasn't for a protest through sports.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Dr. Meek Comes to Class
Once again I was very interested by our guest speaker. The two that have come to class have great insight on the globalization of sport. Dr. Meek had fascinating stories of soccer and hooliganism in England.
The thing I found most interesting was that the kids he taught would miss two days of school every time their club had a match because they were in jail. I don't believe Dr. Meek mentioned the age of his students but I would like to know what they're parents thought and if the school itself did anything to get the kids back in school or punished them for missing so much. This also got me wondering how young children in England start to participate in hooliganism. In the United States parents dress their kids in their teams colors starting as a baby. I wonder if they do that in England.
Dr. Meek said that hooliganism is now banned from the stadium and they have moved it to fields and have meetings for fights. It makes sense to me that they finally banned them from the stadiums but I find it kind of funny that the leaders of the firms text each other to set up a fight. It seems like the most civilized things hooligans do. The security Dr. Meek talked about at the train station did not surprise me at all. I actually think it's a good idea that they check a lot of people. Not necessarily to stop hooliganism but also terrorism. England has had a lot of issues with terrorists and it's good they are tightening up security.
I was shocked by the racism that black soccer players receive in Europe. I had no clue that race was such an issue on the soccer pitch. I didn't even know that Europe as a whole was so racist. I always hear how open minded Europe is, but I guess that's not as true as they portray. It's a shame that this is still happening in the world, and on such a large scale in public. I feel like the soccer stadiums could do so much more to prevent this. I think even banning bananas from the stadium would help a lot and mean a lot to the black players.
The thing I found most interesting was that the kids he taught would miss two days of school every time their club had a match because they were in jail. I don't believe Dr. Meek mentioned the age of his students but I would like to know what they're parents thought and if the school itself did anything to get the kids back in school or punished them for missing so much. This also got me wondering how young children in England start to participate in hooliganism. In the United States parents dress their kids in their teams colors starting as a baby. I wonder if they do that in England.
Dr. Meek said that hooliganism is now banned from the stadium and they have moved it to fields and have meetings for fights. It makes sense to me that they finally banned them from the stadiums but I find it kind of funny that the leaders of the firms text each other to set up a fight. It seems like the most civilized things hooligans do. The security Dr. Meek talked about at the train station did not surprise me at all. I actually think it's a good idea that they check a lot of people. Not necessarily to stop hooliganism but also terrorism. England has had a lot of issues with terrorists and it's good they are tightening up security.
I was shocked by the racism that black soccer players receive in Europe. I had no clue that race was such an issue on the soccer pitch. I didn't even know that Europe as a whole was so racist. I always hear how open minded Europe is, but I guess that's not as true as they portray. It's a shame that this is still happening in the world, and on such a large scale in public. I feel like the soccer stadiums could do so much more to prevent this. I think even banning bananas from the stadium would help a lot and mean a lot to the black players.
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