Why do women have to be sex objects to make a commercials?

     Danika Patrick was the only women to win the Indy Car Series. She is an amazing race car driver that is a spokesperson for GoDaddy. com. She does provocative commercials for her sponsor GoDaddy.com. In the United States of America there is a cultural emphasis on "cosmetic fitness" for women. Patrick has to "look right" or wear the "right clothes" to fit in she cannot just be an amazing athlete. I dislike how Danika Patrick did shower scenes and sold her body for the commercials. I think Danika Patrick is a role model for young women. However when she did the commercials it showed young women to get noticed you need to show that you can be sexy.
      I believe Danika Patrick is a strong women that did not need to exploit her body because it just reinforces people to believe that women are just sex objects. I know it was her sponsor but there was definitely a line crossed. Until gender stereotypes and the media insignias changes full gender equity will not be achieved.

Avery Joharchi
Kin 332I
T/TH 9:30-10:45

Football & Title IX - a Battle with Long History

I know that here is a conflict between big-time college sports and the compliance of Title IX after participating our class debate and reading some materials, especially in Football. Accidently, I read a related article and it will help us having a deeper understanding of the history of this issue.

 

In May 1974 a couple of powerful Texans who feared Title IX's impact on revenue-producing sports-Republican senator John Tower and Texas football coach and athletic director Darrell Royal, soon-to-be president of the American Football Coaches Association-planned an assault on the two-year-old law. Royal and Longhorns NCAA faculty representative J. Neils Thompson helped draft the Tower Amendment, which would exempt football and men's basketball from Title IX compliance determinations. Royal feared the law would "eliminate, kill or seriously weaken the programs we have in existence." Its mandates, Tower said, would throw "the baby"-costly but profitable football-"out with the bathwater." For good measure, NCAA executive director Walter Byers added a formulation as alarmist as it was redundant: "Impending doom is around the corner.

 

What accounts for Title IX's invincibility? Gender-equity advocate Donna Lopiano, who had testified against exempting revenue sports while serving as the Longhorns' women's athletic director, credits those federal regulations, now enforced by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. It's no small irony that Texas hombres hoping to torpedo legislation unwittingly helped bulletproof it. "I've been an expert witness in 30 lawsuits and rarely had to offer a debatable opinion," Lopiano says. "I'd depend on my knowledge of the OCR regulations and the courts' inclination to defer to agency regs if they exist. By an accident of history, the Bible was written when Christ was born."

 

Source: A. Wolff, (2012). Winning at Political Football: The legislation’s staying power is the direct result of an attempt to dismantle it. Sports Illustrated, 116 (19), 59-60.

 

 

Liguang ‘Larry’ Ding

Kin 577

Sport and politics?

The sport industry in the United States is a wealthy and high priority sector and it is no secret that sport organizations have a tremendous amount of influence on consumers, and on society as a whole. However, some of the money flowing into these behemoth organizations is being used for completely non-sport related endeavors. Is this appropriate and what short and long-term intentions underlie the expenditures? A recent article posted on www.thepostgame.com references the amount of money used towards government lobbying by big-time American sports. The NFL spent more than $6.1 million in 2011 on internal and outside lobby groups. Other organizations who spent a significant amount on lobbying include Major League Baseball (2^nd at $520,000), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (3^rd at $410,000), and the U.S. Olympic Committee (4^th at $360,000). Issues being lobbied included immigration and customs, drug testing, amateur sports, community programs, and tax issues.

What issues are these organizations so interested in? First Street Research reports that a majority of sports lobbying efforts go towards player safety, drug testing, internet gambling, and broadcasting, all of which seem relevant. A majority of the UFC’s lobby spending goes towards eradicating illegal online downloads and online streaming, which makes sense because the availability of streaming live fight events usually means less physical attendance. However, a portion of the NFLs funds went towards lobbying the Federal Aviation Commission to allow the use of drones in U.S. Airspace. Say what? How is THIS relevant?

Lobbying often has a negative stigma, and is perceived as entities with a large amount of power corrupting the law (arm twisting) in order to serve their own interest. However, it could also be viewed as these entities defending others’ interests against corruption and making sure that minority interests are protected. Sport organizations seem to be fighting for issues that directly affect them and their teams, but should they even be able to influence the government? We depend on the government to design and uphold a rule structure which maintains the integrity of the sport industry. We depend on drug testing laws to reveal who the “cheaters” are. We depend on athlete immigration laws to reveal which teams are so desperate for a winning athlete that they will take them from a foreign country. If sport organizations are able to influence the legislators who design these laws, they are able to tweak the system to their best interest. However, it goes both ways. Lobbying by sport may be an attempt to tweak unfair or unjust rules, in the interest of their athletes.

Furthermore, why is the NFL lobbying the FAC to allow the use of drones in Airspace? Turns out, a few unmanned drones flew over a Giants versus Patriots game for security purposes, and the NFL probably believes that this should be important for high-profile football games. It makes sense, but it still seems odd.

Should sports and politics mix? If sports gain lobbying headway, what type of influence will they exert in the future? Will there be power abuse issues in the future?

Article referenced:

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201205/nfl-spends-big-washington-lobbyists-drones-planes

Gisele Schaaf – LT 22

KIN 577

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/skechers-pay-40-million-toning-shoe-claims/story?id=16359254#.T7R6zuu865U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erhbn3ElJVo

I happen to come across this article concerning Skechers Shape-Ups, and how they are paying $40 million to settle a law suit that accuses them of false advertisement. Shape-ups "would help people lose weight, build muscle and get in shape." Whether or not these claims are true or not, I feel that the underlying issue is that Skechers advertisements uses socially constructed views of what it beautiful to not only sell their shoes, but more importantly adds to the idea that women have to look a certain way to fit into what society constructs as "beautiful" and "sexy". Yes, these shoes are suppose to get you into shape, but when Skechers have celebrities like Kim Kardashian as a spokes model in a submissive commercial, it not only suggest that without really working out you're gonna look like Kim Kardashian but also reestablishes that women that want to "look sexy" have to look like Kim. And this is not what I believe at all. I feel that being sexy is not defined by how thin, how toned, or how curvaceous your body is, but how confident and comfortable you feel in the body that you have. As a society, we lose site of what really matters because we are so drowned by how we look, and what people think of us. I believe one major factor in this way of thinking is the society we live in. Our society is run by media, and what is seen on media is sex because it sells and it is implanted in our minds that we are suppose to look that way because that's all that we see. The submissive factor of this ad was another issue that I found a problem with. Why is it sexy to be seen as submissive? I have no clue, but that's a topic for another blog.

Natasha Nguyen 

Kin 338I

Wednesday 4-6:45

Females and Football?

  Yesterday I posted a link on our class Twitter page to an article titled, “Soccer Star Isom Doesn’t Make LSU Team.” It tells of Mo Isom, a senior and former goalkeeper for LSU’s women’s soccer team and how she tried out as a kickoff specialist for her school’s football team. Though she didn’t make the team (only one female has played at the FBS level), she has been invited back to try out again in August.

            Several aspects of this article grabbed my interest. First of all, the headline doesn’t mention that Isom is a female. The article itself does mention this and spends a few sentences to inform readers only one female has previously played at that level, and last year another female unsuccessfully tried out as kicker at Virginia Tech. Overall the article spends more words describing how Isom’s try out went and her accomplishments on LSU’s soccer team, all without evaluating the events based on her gender or sex. Unfortunately, a fair majority of comments posted after the article by readers concern Isom’s appearance. For me, the way the article was written is a parallel to how those intimately involved in the sports world are knowledgeable of the progress women have made, and though gender is still somewhat of a focus, hopefully we’ve reached a point where achievements are more notable. The disgusting comments following the article are a reflection of how the general public is unaware of the obstacles female athletes have faced, how the progress that has been made is taken for granted, and how there is still progress to be made. 

-Therese Weed

Kin 338I; Wednesdays 4-6:45

Comment for Therese Weed's Blog:

      Therese Weed said the headline did not mention that Isom was a women. I do not see where she is coming from because articles on Cristiano Ronaldo do not state that he is male in the title. I think Mo Isom is a competitive soccer player that does not give up and I love her deterministic attitude. I am happy that Isom did make the football team because she was well qualified.

     I like how Therese Weed recognized the obstacles still faced for female athletes. For instance, how the comments for the articles reflected her appearance rather her skills. I wish people would not talk about appearances like they defined Isom but instead how their accomplishments have fortunately got them where they are today. I believe by confronting these issues we need to acknowledge they exist and not be in denial about gender inequalities.

Avery Joharchi

Kin 332I

T/Th 9:30-10:45

Women Athletes Deserve More Respect.

I understand that one of the biggest industrial markets in today's society is sports; sports generate billions of dollars every year in revenue from ticket sales, food, group rates, fan gear, etc. Aside from all that, there's a concept one needs to know between professional athletes both men and women; their is a line that divides them and it's one that should be broken altogether.

 For men, it seems like they are always criticized starting with their collegiate career. Actually, it's surprising that even middle school boys are being scouted before they are even in high school and have their athletic future predicted. I understand that men's sports are a big deal; they are paid to compete at the highest level despite many tempting factors such as women interested only in their money, unnecessary spending, and time management especially when playing on the road. However, it seems these athletes are placed on pedestals and seen as gods by children and adults alike. For instance, Kobe Bryant is arguably the best player in the NBA with comparisons similar to Michael Jordan. In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault in Colorado while being married to his wife. Less than a decade later, Kobe Bryant is once again praised by becoming the reigning MVP and delivering back to back championships for the Lakers. Did we just happen to forget that this is the same man who was accused of sexual assault against a woman out of her will? There are stories like that all the time, with players bringing guns to the locker room or charges for assault and battery, but it seems these male athletes always still get the benefit, and all they need is a solid season.

After these revelations from men's sports, I feel like women should be treated with the same, if not higher respect than their male comrades. From a history perspective, women have always been the "underdog" in professional sports; with society taking their accomplishments for granted. For example, women's soccer was only made popular after the U.S Olympics when Hope Solo and the entire U.S Women's Team began winning. Unfortunately, those weren't the type of highlights you see on ESPN during the regular season. These women in professional sports are given the same rules and regulations as male athletes; they are given a higher than average salary and forced to manage their own time among family, friend, practice, and away games. However, you don't hear too many stories about women athletes going bankrupt or women bringing guns to practice. These women DESERVE so much respect, because as professional athletes, they stick to acting PROFESSIONAL. Rather than see what temptations can bring, they understand how they are competing at the highest levels, acting righteously as role models. It's not so easy for them either; Candace Parker, a profound WNBA Player with hopes of the Hall of Fame, got pregnant in 2003 after having dominant seasons. After being pregnant, that meant she would need to take one year off before returning to the floor. It takes a lot of professionalism and sacrifice to get back into basketball shape after pregnancy.
Women athletes know that; before they sign contracts, they know pregnancy is a big factor during the season and that issue alone and how they approach it deems much respect.

I just feel that although we live in a society where men's sports ultimately bring more fans and revenue, women athletes deserve so much credit not only for their true athleticism, but they way they carry themselves as athletes; the way they act on and off the court. I know that I have the utmost respect for professional women athletes because of their triumphs and hard work, but it's time we let society know as well.

By: Eric Macalalad
Kin 338i, Wed: 4-6:45PM

Women's Male Sports Popularity

I have wondered why some of women’s sports tend to suffer from popularity when compared to those of men sports. (Especially when you look at mainstream sports like basketball, baseball/softball, etc.) Even putting women up in lingerie can’t seem to get women’s football higher than a novelty sport. But I believe this occurs for two reasons. First, women are playing a sport that has already an established as a male sport. I say this because there has been attempts in the past, not gender specific, that tried to become popular by competing with a fan base that has already been established. For instance, in 2000 the XFL was created as a football league when the NFL was on its offseason and after one season it had ceased operations. The second reason I think might be that some of these sports are altered versions of men sports. For instance, the WNBA has a smaller ball size, a shorter 3-point arc and smaller game quarters lengths. I think this may turn fans away because that same sport is already being played on a higher competitive level. That is not to say that the women in these sports are not talented, but it’s hard to take away the fan base of something that was first to strike.

Efrain P.

Kin 338i - Section

Wednesday 4:00 - 6:45