Conclusion - Tyler Jester

I found Sport and Gender to be one of my favorite classes to go to each week. A lot of information I had background knowledge on but having this class really enhanced my knowledge and allowed me to expand on what I knew about all of the different topics we discussed throughout the class. One article I found very interesting was the one dealing with the Athletic Director’s Dilemma. It was interesting to see how athletic directors solve problems about what sports to keep based on revenues toward the university. Basically, this gives the small male sports team hardly any chance to succeed. Everyone knows football and men’s basketball bring in the most money for universities but it was interesting to see how universities tried to comply with the Title IX requirements having so many scholarships available for those two main sports. This was not the only article that I found useful. Each and every article along with the discussions in class were helpful for me to understanding each topic being discussed. A few of my other favorite topics were Kobe and LeBron, and Magic Johnson dealing with AIDS. As a Lakers fan, I was automatically drawn to the articles dealing with Kobe and Magic but anything dealing with basketball definitely drew my attention.

Writing a blog did a couple of things to help me. The first way is that it kept me accountable. Posting a blog held me accountable because I needed to make sure I posted something each week, and if I didn't then everyone in the class could see which weeks I would have missed. The other way writing blogs helped me, was that it made me think before I wrote entries and posted them. Knowing that the blogs will be on the Internet and available to the public made me proofread and rethink my thoughts before posting, just so I know I was being politically and grammatically correct on each entry.

I believe each group presentation had its strengths and weaknesses but I really enjoyed everyone’s presentations, especially the presentation on Jeremy Lin. I thought it was interesting to see how we would have portrayed a female version of Jeremy.

The main thing I will take away from this class is to try and make sure that everyone is treated equally and fairly, no matter the gender, sex, race, or sexual orientation. All anyone wants is an opportunity and it should not matter who you, everyone deserve an opportunity to succeed at something they take pride in. 

Conclusion- Erin Scott

When I first enrolled in this class I wasn't aware that we would be covering so many topics. I had no idea how there would be enough content to last us an entire semester. I expected us to focus solely on gender in sports. I was very wrong! 

This class is one of my favorite classes that I've taken at BG. This class made me think about a lot of topics that I would have never thought of before. I really enjoyed the class discussion and being able to express my views as well as hear the opinions of others. Some of my beliefs were challenged while I also developed ideas and opinions on topics that I had never thought about before. I think that this class really made the class more open and accepting of others. I like that it challenged the belief of thinking in binaries. I think it was important that we discussed the topic of race in sports because it still remains a large issue that I think many people overlook. Also, being a woman I saw the issues that females faced in sports but I was not as aware of the issues facing men in sports. Homophobia is a big issue in sports and we've talked about we would need an athlete in a big sport to come out. Earlier today Jason Collins, an NBA player announced that he is gay. Before this class I would have paid no attention to the story and would have realized how courageous he is for being an open gay athlete. I will be very interested to see the reactions and see if other athletes are more willing to be an open gay athlete.

I truly enjoyed this class and I am so glad that BG offers this it! Thanks for the great semester Dr. Spencer!

Extra Credit: Female Portrayal in Hip-Hop Music -Logan Walker

My group did our in-class presentation on Athletes and Hip Hop. Some different aspects of the topic we wanted to look at were how athletes were related to hip hop artists and vice versa, similarities of the two, and how athletes and hip hop artists portray one another. We included video clips of athletes rapping and hip hop artists playing sport. One aspect that we did not talk much about was how female athletes are portrayed and related to hip-hop. I would just like to elaborate some on this thought since the question has been brought up.

I would like to start off by saying that we do not see women portrayed as much in this light because more times than not it is male hip hop artists who are intrigued by male sports. For example, we talked about in our presentation how Jay-Z took over the Brooklyn Nets and then decided to let someone else take over because he wanted to become an agent. Jay-Z founded Roc Nation Sports. The reason he had to hand some responsibility of the Nets to someone else is because he could not be an owner and an agent. We really do not see any female hip-hop artists making these types of moves. We are more aware male hip-hop artists athletic backgrounds than female hip-hop artists. As we have touched on in some class discussion this year, there is not as much popularity when it comes to female sports as there is in male sports. When it comes to male hip artists they seem to have more fascination in the female athlete’s physical attraction more so than the actual sport they play. I would also like to add that Skylar Diggins who just signed with the WNBA also signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports. This was big news for female athletes. This was a great decision on her part and I am intrigued to see the endorsements she will have coming her way.

I would like to compare male athletes portrayal in hip-hop artist music compared to females. I would like to look at how the two parties are represented. The first song I wanted to look at is entitled “Kobe Bryant” and it is by hip-hop artist Lil Wayne. The song is based on the greatness of Kobe Bryant and has excerpts in it from ESPN analysts talking about Kobe’s greatness. When hip hop talks about males athletes it is usually strictly about their athletic ability. I looked at an article entitled, “Black Womanhood, Misogyny, and Hip Hop Culture: A Feminist Intervention,” by Anita Simmons. The article talks a lot about how black females are mistreated when it comes to hip hop music. It talks about how in white and black hip hop artist’s music there seems to be a hatred or mistrust related to black women. It is stated in the article, “I feel personally targeted by the sexist rage in hip hop that reinforces the patriarchal, dominant stereotypical views of black women and their sexuality that have been promoted by American men, both white and black” (Simmons 27). This is Simmons kind of touching on the previous point that I made that females, athlete or not, are strictly spoken about more so as an object than being appreciated for their qualities, such as success in sports or overall accomplishments. Also stated in the article, “I argue that the systemic hatred of black women did not start with Hip-Hop, but has deep historical continuities that precede the latter” (Simmons 28). Simmons is saying right here that the negative portrayal of black women did not start with hip-hop but it has always been a problem in the world and hip-hop is just a continuation.

Finally, I do not think that this is how black females would like to be represented, but they do not have much of a choice when this is how hip hop artists want to portray them. Looking back at Don Imus and his comments about the Rutgers University Women’s Basketball team he called them “nappy headed hoes” and also made comments about their tattoos. After he made these comments he tried to defend himself by blaming it on hip hop music. I personally think that it was a poor excuse by Don Imus to blame his actions on hip hop, but in reality, hip-hop artists do portray the black females in this light. Some final comments I’d like to make are that it is hard to relate female athletes to hip hop in a positive way especially when they are victims of hatred and sexism in hip hop music. Male athletes are spoken about strictly in regards to their athletic ability but unfortunately female athletes do not get this luxury. 

References:

Simmons, Anita. "BLACK WOMANHOOD, MISOGYNY, AND HIP-HOP CULTURE: A FEMINIST INTERVENTION." 1.2 (2008): 27-28. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://www.colum.edu/Academics/Humanities_History_and_Social_Sciences/Cultural_Studies/Cultural_Landscapes/Volume_I_Issue_2/Cultural_Landscapes_Journal_1_2_2008_C_Anita_Simmons.pdf>.

Slam. N.p., 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://www.slamonline.com/online/other-ballers/womens/2013/04/skylar-diggins-signs-with-roc-nation-sports/>.

Conclusion Greg Gantt

When I first enrolled in the class for the semester I knew I would enjoy it based off of my first class with Dr. Spencer. I learned a lot this semester from topics ranging from race to gender to disabilities to equality in sports. I think my favorite portion of the class would have to be discussion. The readings set a good tone for topics but the discussion showed me others points of views whether similar or different. Gave me a chance to see how people of other gender and ethnicities felt about topics. At times I did have my own opinion but there were plenty of other times where I was agreeing or learning from someone else.
The only recommendations I could give is requiring everyone to discuss in class whether it is one or two times a day. I think this can only help to make the discussions that much better. I also enjoyed the blogs. For those who did not always speak in class I was able to understand their opinion through their blog writings.
All in all this class not only helped me academically with critical thinking but also in everyday life. From having conversations about sexuality I was able to better understand what people go through for just choosing to have a different sexual preference. I learned to be more understanding of everyone and to accept difference. I enjoy this class and love the amount of freedom I had to speak my mind. Continue to keep up the great work, enjoyed you as my professor Dr. Spencer.

Extra Credit Presentation Follow Up Greg Gantt

Amirah happens to be a good friend of me and this article is a good one. I think that women athletes are reflected as queens to Hip-Hop. Just like basketball and hip hop go hand in hand I think it is the assumption every man needs that perfect woman. When I say this I am referring to the thought that when rappers mention women athletes I think it is their way of honoring them. A lot of times it is not always positive. I do not agree that if it is negative that it should occur but in a sense I think it is expected from rappers to sexualize these athletes. It is not fair though. But in a sense I think the women athletes need to speak up if they are being honored in demeaning way. I think women athletes have close relations to hip hop since a lot of times women athletes are sexualized such as Serena Williams. It is not fair but sex sales and it only helps her when rappers talk about her. Just like Salt N Pepa choosing to use sexy lyrics because at the end of the day people like that and want to hear it. In reference to Don Immus he was wrong but makes a great point in that hip hop songs always talk about hoes yet they are not judged. But he was not a rapper he was a talk show host who verbally assaulted specific women and not women in general. That is where the issue came into play. Had he just said nappy headed hoes randomly on no topic it would have just been seen as why is he talking in that manner.

Extra Credit Study Guide Greg Gantt

What are some of the critiques of LeBron and Giselle’s photo on the cover of Vogue, especially in light of LeBron being the first African American man to be featured on that cover? In reality it was a signifying debacle; he appeared with a hulking, raging visage, grabbing onto the lithe, smiling, and white figure of supermodel Gisele Biindchen, a la King Kong clutching Fay Wray. The photograph controversy lies in that why is the first ever African-American male to be featured on the cover reflectng a stereotype. The photographer says the picture was not meant to upset but I feel that she is controversial and because she is well known it is okay for her to portray sterotypes because she is an "artist."

Extra Credit: Jonathan Kozol Presentation

On Friday night, in the Wolfe Center Donnell Theatre, educational history was made. Now when walking into this presentation, I had no idea of the importance of the talk that was about to happen.

To set the background, Jonathan Kozol, is a lifelong educator and political activist, who is a Harvard graduate and Rhodes scholar. His journey through life is meaningful because of the impact he has made in his profession and his daily life.

To begin the lecture, Kozol easily stated, “Teachers are his heroes.” He spent his life in elementary schools and fully realizes that teaching can sometimes be a thankless commitment. He started his career in 1964, was an English major a Harvard and Rhoades scholar, who simply loves literature. Though his father wasn’t impressed with his calling for education, Kozol started off as a kindergarten substitute teacher and worked his way up to 4^th grade teaching.

When looking at why he wanted to be a teacher, Kozol mentioned how the 1964 events with Martin Luther King, Jr. changed his life. During the times of the incidents and riots, he wanted to help but really didn’t know how too. He clearly remembers driving to the black community in Boston, nearby his hometown, and asked a local pastor on how he can help. The pastor explained how Kozol could help the people in Mississippi by fighting the injustice here, because there was injustice everywhere. Kozol was called to be a teacher and pass along his world-class education.

Though Kozol marched with Dr. King, remembers his words, and even the sound of his voice, he admits that his journey was not always easy. He spent most of his career in the Bronx working with the youth in bad areas and actually wrote several books about his experiences.

Throughout the lecture, Kozol’s message was clear. He even stated, “I hate to be bitter, but lives are at stake, my friends. I have to speak from my heart.” Teachers are under fierce attack and racial isolation does damage the youth. Though the system may be broken, we, as in all of us, must take a stand. Charter schools are not the answer; books, class sizes, and talents in classrooms do matter! Though there may be injustice with politicians, Kozol is committed to doing his part. He admitted how he has lived a good life, but he wants to keep passing along his message and keep sharing his personal stories until his dying day.

He told personal stories that moved the crowd. They were first hand accounts of the unfair practices in the inner-city schools around the nation. Though discrimination still exists, Kozol believes that the foundations of teaching can overcome the obstacles if they receive the appropriate help. The teachers who believe in the real mission don’t value only tests and agendas, they foster happy places and are great at what they do.

It may seem radical, but his message could not be denied on Friday night. Kozol has even depended on his mentors, like Mr. (Fred) Rogers, to let him know that it is okay to stick you neck out and you will survive.

The last message of the night: “The innocence of children will out live us all.”

-Alex Solis