The impact professional sports have on American society



The impact professional sports have on American society

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by Ben Burrows

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From the Olympics to Monday Night Football, sports bring us together as a society. No matter your race, gender, age, ethnicity, or religion, sports is our common bond. In times of racism and hatred, the American society use sports as a crutch. We can always lean on professional and even collegiate and high school sports for comfort.

Professional sports has for what seems like forever had a strangle hold on the American society. It seems almost every day of the week there is a sport that we as Americans can watch and enjoy. Everyday of the week we can watch baseball. On Friday nights we can watch boxing. Saturday we havecollege football and the NFL on Sunday afternoons.

Sports unite America by the simple fact that on game day, your religion doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the color of your jersey, not your skin. It doesn't matter if you are from Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. When you are rooting for your team, the rest of your fellow fans are your brothers and sisters. Even if you love the Red Sox and your neighbor is a Yankee fan, at the end of the day you have a love for baseball.

In the 1970's when the only thing that mattered was whether you were black or white, baseball united us. Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron threw race wars aside and brought America together with the love of baseball. Today in 2008, in the middle of a heated presidential election, the Olympics united us. No one cared whether you were a democrat or a republican, for McCain or Obama. The only thing that mattered was that Michael Phelps won and the basketball team got the gold.

Sports have and most likely always will be the common bond that all Americans share. In a country so diverse in almost every way, sports are our common bond. The American society can always lean on sports in their time of need. Professional sports may not win elections, clean our streets, or even lower gas prices. What they do is unite the most diverse country in the world. Diversity does not matter when you are staring down a batter or reading a defense. Race and religion don't matter when you are on the ropes in the tenth round. Culture and ethnicity don't matter when you are down by 2 in overtime. All that matters is that teams and fans have to come together when it matters, regardless of diversity. Sports don't just make a large impact on the American society. They are essential for such a diverse environment to succeed.

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The impact professional sports have on American society

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by Marcus Brooks

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Last winter, the USA Today newspaper printed off a headline that shocked even me. They posted mugshots of 41 National Football League players on their front cover. The article, itself, was harmful enough. There were 41 active players arrested out of only 1500 or so currently playing. It placed a harsh symbol on society. As a population, a certain percentage are expected to break written laws.

However, a horrifying realization also came to past. 39 of these 41 players were black. To an uneducated or prejudiced reader, it would be assumed by two things. 1) Black athletes don't know how to act. 2) Black atheles committed the most crimes. The USA unintentionally or intentionally played on one of America's most annoying racial stereotypes. Since black athletes don't know how to act; black people don't know how to act. Since black athletes committed the most crimes; black people committed the most crimes.

Black readers accused the white media of being anti-black. With the treatment of Barry Bonds, throughout his career, and Roger Clemens, just recently, those arguments are supported. Michael Vick's public "lynching" of allegedly killing a couple of dogs far outweighed the matter of fact journalism, corrupt NBA referee, Tim Donaghy received for jeopardizing the sanctity of the game and peoples' lives.

In relation to professional sports and American life, the white media abused African-Americans. They have the power to write favorably on who they like. They have the power to write negatively about who they don't like. Unfortunately, the press hasn't been equal in the damage committed. Bonds suffered from MLB team collusion against him. Clemens received $18 million dollars in 2007. It came 22 years and a career full of cheating too late.

Regardless of what casual observers say, professional sports and African-Americans' portrayals are politically-motivated. Whenever a black athletes is shown in an negative light, questions are raised. If a white athlete did the same thing, would they be shown in that light? If so, how vicious would the glare be? If so, how vicious would public scrutiny be? Looking at recent topics, the debates are being made.

In 2007, Vikings wide receiver, Koren Robinson received his third DUI offense. ESPN played the image of him being handcuffed along the interstate. His team released the troubled receiver. The Packers, then, immediately signed him. After another DUI arrest, they released him out of football.

Early in the summer, Jacksonville Jaguar, wide receiver, Matt Jones got arrested in Fayetteville, Arkansas. An officer pulled him over and witnessed him snorting a line of cocaine on his credit card. Jones received charges of felony drug possession and driving while under the influence. There were no pictures showing him being handcuffed. Because the charge was a FELONY, Jacksonville released him. But, he could still be picked up by another team.

Two receivers received charges for similar felonies. Robinson failed a field sobriety test. Jones got CAUGHT SNORING COCAINE by an officer. Robinson remained out of football. Jones remained in football. Viewers saw the Robinson arrest. Viewers never seen Jones handcuffed. Once again, two receivers received charges for similar felonies. What was the difference?

White America is blinded to the notion white athletes committ more crimes than blacks athletes. There are more of them in colleges, in semi-pro and professional leagues. Unfortunately, newspapers run to the nearest African-American player shown in a compromising condition. With Barack Obama vying for president, the images are becoming moreso now than ever before.

Despite all of the efforts at reporting the problem, those efforts fell short at correcting the problem.

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by Tim Driver

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Having coached for over 20 years at the high school level in 3 different varsity sports, I can report that that the negative impact on youth and society are quite visible. The difference between athletes 20 years ago and today are monumental. Sadly, many of things that we accept from our professional athletics, we now see cropping up in not only youth sports, but in society and the work force at large. Here are some ways that sports have negatively impacted American society.

SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT

Whether a young high school athlete or someone rather new to the workforce, people do not want to conform to rules and systems. They demonstrate an attitude that says that they are the exception to the rule. They don't want to put in the time or hard work necessary to gain experience and insight that will benefit them down the road, but rather complain if they are not promoted or given a varsity spot simply out of their desire to have the title or designation.

LACK OF TEAM CONCEPT

American business spends millions each year trying to get workers to cooperate and support each other for the good of the whole. They could save a fortune if kids, parents and coaches demanded the same at all levels- including the pros. Instead, athletes draw attention to themselves, millions are spent to promote individuals who break the law, disrespect others, and leave town when there are not enough millions on the table. The idea of an athlete being loyal to a community or single team for their entire career is a fleeting concept. There is no loyalty on either side of athletes and owners. We see the same in corporate America when they choose to "downsize" or "demote" people who have devoted themselves to the company, and workers who leave at the first sign of a better offer.

UNREALISTIC DEMANDS

In the athletic world, if a coach doesn't produce immediately or in a very short window of time, people want them replaced. Forget the fact that at the lower levels, they are not allowed to choose their athletes (unless they recruit and cheat which is another topic altogether) nor are they paid anything more than chump change for their exhausting efforts.

Gone are the days when coaches "built" teams. Now they just purchase the best players from other teams. Gone are the concepts of "chemistry" and "long range goals", replaced with "franchise players" and "win now" attitudes. It's no different than corporations who try to take short cuts to success. Would Enron or Worldcom like to re-think their choices for leadership, basing them instead on integrity, loyalty, and sense of duty, rather than taking shortcuts in making a swift dollar?

Perhaps it is backwards, and society is shaping the world of professional athletics. Given the amount of time, media coverage, and of course, money attached to athletics in our society however, I have to say it is the other way around.

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by Todd Pheifer

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It is probably fair to say that professional sports is woven fairly tightly into the fabric of today's American society. This isn't to say that the entire nation is enamored with professional sports, but it has enough popularity and history that one could argue that it is a key piece of American culture. Granted, professional sports has not always been a part of our history and it is possible that someday it will not be nearly as popular as it is today. Still, sport has been around for thousands of years, and the Olympics continues to be a very popular event worldwide. Today, the professional sports franchise is an icon for some people and almost approaches deity status. People will arrange their schedules to watch major sporting events, even to the point of skipping work or other obligations. Here are a few thoughts on the impact professional sports have on American society.

MONEY

We certainly accept spending money on professional sports. Every year, people spend tens, hundreds, or thousands of dollars to watch their favorite athletes in action. Corporations will spend six-figures to get a "luxury" box where they can watch and entertain clients. This has led professional sports to be a multi-billion dollar business. It has gotten to be so important to some people that cities will spend large amounts of tax dollars on stadiums, even when some billionaire owners could afford to buy the stadium themselves. The fact that athletes get paid millions of dollars to play what is essentially a kids game is not really a big deal to many. Granted, some people lament large salaries, particularly for poor performers, but it does not seem to bother them enough to skip the games.

PRIDE

Professional sports is also about pride, particularly civic pride. People will dress up as pigs, wear armor, paint their faces, and don all sorts of ridiculous outfits in order to cheer for their favorite franchise. It also brings out the best (and the worst) in terms of personal pride. People follow their teams sometimes almost to the point of obsession, which can lead to an unhealthy focus. Granted, it isn't the team's fault when people are unnecessarily competitive, but it does become a focal point.

EMULATION

Professional sports is also something that becomes a goal for people as they raise their children. While a small percentage of people actually become professional athletes, parents still treat their kids as if they are going to be the next "star". This has put a certain amount of pressure on youth sports, and has brought out some of the negative elements of competitiveness, particularly in parents.

Overall, professional sports is an aspect of our society that has both positive and negative elements. In positive settings it can unite people and build civic pride. In negative situations people can obsess, start fights, and allocate public funds that might be better spent on things like education, roads, and social services. Go team!

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by Arjun Wadhwa

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With another Olympic year, and another great year for American swimmers, it is inevitable that American societies will get impacted. Professional sports have one of the biggest impacts on the American society and their current trends. Professional sports have changed the way people look at their career choices, their life, and their country.

What impacts do these professional sports have on the youth and the adults? The popularity of famous sport channels running 24/7 in an American household are a proof that popularity of sports has massively increased in the past few years. The launch of energy drinks and thousands of other muscle, sports enhancers impact the Americans.

* Impact of Baseball: Most baseball players playing in MLB earn well over a million dollars. That is 50 times more than an average American. This will impact the way youth thinks. A lot of teens play baseball in hopes of making it to the professional level someday and making a lot of money. But what they see on television is far from reality. The pros that are on television have spend years training in gyms, have professional coaches and are one of the best players in the world. A lot of teens are not aware of this reality and continue playing baseball for school leagues and college leagues for a minimum amount.

* Impact of Football: American Football is one sport that probably has the biggest impact on the American society. The tough youngsters elbowing each other, jumping on each other and their physical built all affect Americans. A lot of the youth watches Football everyday and the football players are their role models. They like to have muscles, be tough like the football player, elbow each other and play sports.

* American society has changed because of football in many ways. The guys are supposed to be tough and physically fight each other to resolve problems and this can be seen in high schools these days. The amount of fights that police has to deal with everyday is a fact that cannot be overlooked and one of the reasons are sports such as football where there is no mercy for the weak.

* Sports don't just have negative impacts. Some of the positive impacts that sports have on American Society are:

* Physical Fitness: All sportsmen are fit, have muscles and this helps bring down the obesity rates. When children, teenagers and adults see fit players playing, they also feel like exercising and taking their body to the next level. This causes a lot of them to hit the gym, drop the pounds and get fit. All young teenagers are interested in having muscles, and a lot of them train everyday to be as good as the professional athletes.

* The fame that sportsmen get also motivates a lot Americans to play sports instead of sitting around and watching television or playing on computer. Everyone wants to get the fame and celebrity and one of the only ways is to be a professional Athlete which will make over 300 million Americans your fans.

The impact of professional sports on the American society is huge. It affects them in positive and a negative way. It depends from which perspective you look at it from. Professional Sports have been around in Colleges, television and their popularity and impact will be even greater in the future.

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