“It 's true: Williams is black, she 's very muscular, and she 's a skilled player. But breathless commentators sometimes talk about these qualities in a way that buys into what sociologist Delia Douglas, in an article on the Williams sisters published in 2004 by the Sociology of Sport Online called "the essentialist logic of racial difference, which has long sought to mark the black body as inherently different from other bodies (Harris)."The result is that Williams 's athleticism is attributed to her ethnicity.” In todays society most media reporters and social media portrays the famous tennis player Serena Williams the way they do because she is a “black female”. They view Serena Williams as manly, untamed, and boisterous, because of her
Billie Jean King announced to the United States, “ I have often been asked whether I am a woman or an athlete. The question is absurd. Men are not asked that. I am an athlete. I am a woman.” She spoke those words in 1982 when women were continuing to challenge traditional gender roles. Billie Jean King, an American female tennis player, has never been one to back away from controversy. She is a powerful voice for the advancement of women’s rights, equal pay, and the acceptance of sexual orientation. King is probably best known for accepting a challenge from Bobby Riggs, a former number one male tennis player in the world, to a “Battle of the Sexes.” She beat Bobby in straight sets. (The Official Website of Billie Jean King). But what
The Dallas Cowboys, the one NFL football team recognized around the world. Not only for their success in the NFL in recent years, but mostly for how wealthy the brand has become nowadays. The Dallas Cowboys have won a total of 5 Super Bowls and have been really successful in their conference and division since the 1900’s. Recently, they have not been doing well in the NFL. However, this does not matter because the Dallas Cowboys are still the wealthiest team in the NFL no matter if they win or lose throughout the regular season. The Dallas Cowboys brand has been noticed by Forbes as being the mostly wealthy brand in American sports, coming in at $4 billion dollars in 2014 (Citation). The Dallas Cowboy brand has grown since the day Jerry
All sports fans may think of their favorite athlete as a hero, a god, a role model, or someone they wish to be. As an athlete there is always the fear of failure or missing the one shot that could have achieved their life goal. As athletes they are always expected to live, breathe, eat, and die for their sport, which in the end causes them distress. In the novel Friday Night Lights, the small town of Odessa, Texas they put that same unneeded pressure on their athletes. To them it is more about winning then actually enjoying the sport, putting an immense pressure on their team to succeed. Knowing that the town is counting on them each player adds more pressure on themselves to satisfy their town while also trying to secure football scholarships. Buzz Bissinger clearly shows the great amount of unnecessary pressure that is put upon the football team from the town, themselves, and the prospect of the future.
In today’s society, it seems as if everything is a competition. From competing for a spot at the best school to attend to competing against fellow colleagues for the best position in the job field; it’s always a fight for the top spot. In Jessica Statsky’s essay, “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” she explains the harsh effects that can occur in children if they are put into competitive sports too early in life. It is understandable that the world needs to be competitive in order to grow and expand, however, if competition is pushed too much at a young age, children may start to doubt themselves, believe that they are not any better than anyone else, and sometimes even end up hating the activity that they are pursuing. That is why parents
In “No-Win Situations”, Alfie Kohn recounts his view on competitive games. He begins the essay with a simple personal example: musical chairs and explains how the winner is out to make everyone else fail in order to be the winner. He also says that competition undermines self-esteem, poisons relationships, and holds individuals back from doing their best. Kohn claims that recreation is at its best when the goal is not to make everyone else fail and win, but to team up and reach a certain goal together. He uses an example of research conducted by Terry Orlick, a sports psychologist at the University of Ottawa, in order to support his claim. Further, he mentions that the objective of even the friendliest games such as tennis is to make the opponent fail. Kohn continues to state that there is a psychological cost of competitive games: the more an individual compete, the more that individual needs to compete to feel good about himself. Moreover, he states that there is a toxic effect on relationships due to competition. Especially children tend to envy winners and be suspicious of just about everyone. Furthermore, he mentions that competition is what drives an individual to cheat. Kohn does an effective job of developing his ethos using effective examples and reaching the readers emotionally; however, his debatable argument is highly emotionally-based and does not include very many logical facts to support his claim.
This written task is related to the study of Language and Social Relations. This topic includes the issue of racism in the society. After reading the book Citizen, we discussed a lot about racial discrimination in the class. This book shows how racism influence black people in many ways such as racism in sports.
“Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” by Jessica Statsky is a thoughtful insight on the competitive sports for children. She is of the view that the competitive sports can ruin the enjoyment that games are supposed to provide. These methods of playing the games like adults can prove to be lethal for physical and psychological health. The author quotes from an authentic source that “Kids under the age of fourteen are not by nature physical.” (Tutko) This means that the games for children need to focus more on their pleasure and enjoyment rather than on the competition. Competition only makes children bound to be winners. It also discourages sportsman spirit. Instead of being a source of healthy growth, these competitive sports have started becoming the source of depression for children when they don’t fulfil the expectations of their parents. These sports should enhance the sportsman spirit in children and must be beneficial for their mental and physical health. Concentrating on winning or losing spoils the fun that games hold. In addition, equal chances should be provided to every child to participate. Competitive nature can assist the children in their life later on, but the focus should be on better mental and physical health. (204 words)
In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” Jessica Statsky tries to demonstrate the negative effect of organized sports on the physical and psychological health of growing child. She claims that the games are not festive but they end up in the wrong development of a child’s brain. The coaches and parents have high hopes for their children that result in the pressure building. This changes the purpose of sports from teaching tolerance, teamwork and sportsmanship to merely winning by all means. The writer further explains that the idea of winning sometimes causes severe injuries that may prevail for a lifetime. In these games, a child may crash into one another accidently that creates a fear of getting hurt. Just to protect themselves some children back out of many games and are left behind when it comes to the development of their bodies. The rest of the children who are part of these games are in a constant pressure from their parents and coaches that cause the stress and anxiety. Furthermore, the writer states that this “sport becomes job like”. Children are playing just to win and the real spirit of the game fades out. (Word count: 196)
The last time that the Dallas Cowboys found themselves in a 2-4 hole was back in 2004 under head coach Bill Parcels. The lost to Minnessota Vikings, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers in the first seven game stretch. At 2-4, the Dallas Cowboys came out against the Detroit Lions on October 31st, 2004 at Texas Stadium and defeated them 31-21. In 2004, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks 43-39. Maybe history will repeat itself and the Cowboys will beat the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday in AT&T stadium. In 2004, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks 43-39.
Another divisional derby will be played at Giants Stadium when the home team will host Dallas Cowboys. The Giants (3-3) are looking to bounce back after a poor showing and defeat in Philadelphia on Monday night. Nothing will heal the wounds better than a victory against bitter rivals Dallas (2-3).
Looking back on some history on the Dallas Cowboys since the ownership of Jerry Jones, it has been noticed that they have grown to become something bigger than just a professional football team. As state before, Forbes has ranked the Dallas Cowboys brand to be the not only the wealthiest sports brand in the U.S, but being the fourth biggest sports brand in the world (4). When looking at teams worldwide, Manchester is in 1st, the New York Yankees in 2nd, and Real Madrid in 3rd. All of these teams have a great foundation of fans that support them around the world and understand what it takes to be on top of the sports industry. All these three teams have unique marketing and sales tactics to get them in the ranks they are in today (4). Look
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a pro tennis player? Well, Serena Williams has accomplished many goals in her life so far being a pro tennis player. In the biography Venus and Serena by Dave Rineberg. The author explains how Serena Williams is a game changer because of how she dramatically transformed the tennis community and broke down racial barriers.
With Orlando Scandrick done for season, there is only one attitude to have…NEXT MAN UP!
In this excerpt by Claudia Rankine she is able to effectively describe the racism that affected both Serena and Venus Williams lives while playing tennis. Although they faced racism while on the court they were resilient and able to endure what was thrown at them. As Rankine perfectly described they were graphite against a white background.