PennTags Feed for /tag/sports

The Penn Relays

This annual event is one of the most important track meets in the country and it t takes place right here on campus.

Leave extra time for commuting and assume that lunch will just take longer.

JSTOR: The Economic JournalVol. 111, No. 469 (Feb., 2001), pp. F4-F26

Victoria Carty - Textual Portrayals of Female Athletes: Liberation or Nuanced Forms of Patriarchy? - Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 26:2

Carty, Victoria. "Textual Portrayals of Female Athletes: Liberation of Nuanced Forms of Patriarchy?" Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 26.2 (2005): 132-172.

In Victoria Carty's article, she explores the portrayal of female athletes in today’s media by looking at print ads and television and radio commentary within the context of the radical feminist and post-feminist discourse. Carty states that while radical feminists embrace women’s increased opportunities to participate and thrive in competitive sports, they argue that the commoditization and subsequent exploitation of female athletes’ sexuality not only diminishes their athletic accomplishments but also reinforces the strength of the patriarchal system. On the other hand, post-feminists do not accept the objectification of women, but instead choose to work within the male-centered system that their radical feminist counterparts abhor. By choosing to use their sexuality as strength, post-feminists work to change the system from within by using the attributes that were once deemed as impediments to their advantage. Carty ultimately argues that female athletes and their supporters must ignore the oppressive qualities of commercialized competitive sports and instead use sports to their advantage.

While the film itself does not center around sports (although it is interesting to note that Dr. Peterson is characterized as a frustrated gymnast and avid swimmer during her introduction to Dr. Edwardes), the article becomes relevant to Spellbound if one approaches the work environment of Green Manors as a place not of competitive athletes, but of competitive intellectuals. Obviously there are differences between physical and mental competition, but in many ways the environments created by the competitive attitude are remarkably similar. The treatment of Dr. Peterson played by Ingrid Bergman is extremely similar to the atmosphere that Carty argues many female athletes encounter in today’s culture. While it appears that Dr. Peterson attempts to obscure her sexuality by wearing glasses and a baggy and unflattering lab coat in her work environment, a move that would find favor with radical feminist ideology, she also builds and nurtures strong relationships with her male coworkers, which according to post-feminists is one way to reinforce one’s heterosexuality and appear less threatening to the in-control males. Dr. Peterson constantly is forced to play within the boundaries that society has set up for her, case in point is her later encounter with the hotel detective. While she is portrayed as a strong female through out the film, she can never escape the behavioral expectations that force her altar her action and strategy in order to conform to the laws of men.

Sadashige Sports Film - YouTube - The Ultimate Sports Film: A Documentary

More Players Are Taking the Train to the Game - New York Times

The New York Times
September 30, 2006
More Players Are Taking the Train to the Game
By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
An hour and a half after the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on a muggy night this season, three players stood sweating on the underground platform at the 161st Street and River Avenue subway station in the Bronx. They were waiting for the B train.

04) Lexis Nexis - NFL v McBee & Bruno's

Several drinking establishments intercepted St Louis Cardinal football games within the "blacked out" area. U.S Code Title 15, Chapter 32 outlines the telecasting of professional sports contests; Section 1291 prohibits the broadcasting of a game in the home territory (within 75 miles of the home stadium)if the game is not sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff. This section was created to encourage fans to buy tickets instead of just enjoying a free broadcast at home.

The businesses in question used satellites to receive games in the St Louis area which clearly Section 1291. The NFL sued and won against most of the alleged infringers on the basis of the Homestyle Act. The satellites were deemed not to be commonly found in private homes and the bars were prohibited from continuing this practice. Oddly enough, one bar was not found liable because he had closed the bar and just invited a handful of friends to watch the game; this was ruled a "reasonable circle of social acquaintances".

As stated above, Section 1291 is in place to ensure fans attend home games. When a bar steals the signal of a blacked out game and broadcasts it to attract customers (and thus increase business), they are denying the copyright holders, the NFL, their entitled compensation. The actions of these proprietors rob the NFL of ticket revenue, so Section 1291 was created. The FMLA prevents gatherings at bars large enough to lower the Nielsen ratings and deprive the NFL of advertising revenue. It is reasonable that fans of the Eagles should go to Eagles games; they can not all be free riders. However, fans of all teams watch the Super Bowl and it is a trend that they watch it in large gatherings; it is unreasonable to maintain a policy that supports a flawed ratings system while denying consumers their right to be social.

07) Shaw v Dallas Cowboys et al

This is a class action suit brought against the NFL for violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 (SBA) exempted professional sports leagues from the Sherman Act and allowed them to collectively sell their broadcasting rights. The NFL agreed to sell broadcasting rights to DirectTV so they could sell NFL Sunday Ticket packages to the public. This package is considered "all or nothing" for you either purchase the ability to view all games, or you are limited to only the 2 games in your region. Shaw argues that this limits options for the public while creating artificially high and non-competitive prices. The Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court's decision that the NFL's actions did not fall within the bounds of the SBA. The NFL already received an exemption to the Sherman Act and that exemption must be narrowly construed according to the Court; after already being granted an exemption it would be wrong for the NFL to be allowed so much latitude.

After reading the Fenwick article, I had sympathy for the NFL, actually believing they were being deprived of their due "piece of the pie". However, I find it improbable that the NFL believed that their contract with DirectTV was fair to the consumer population. If Direct TV is the only provider and offers only one option, they essentially hold a monopoly on the market. If a compromise is to be made between the NFL and their fans, each group needs to be conscious of each other's well being. The consumer can not be held responsible for a ratings system that does not properly reflect viewership; the NFL should, and was held responsible for taking advantage of their fans. Is the NFL acting as a typical capitalist profit seeking firm? To a point yes, but Shaw reveals some greed on their part. The Nielsen ratings already limit consumers' options on the Super Bowl, now the NFL Sunday Ticket limits their options every Sunday. The latter action leads to me to stop giving the NFL the benefit of the doubt.

Sports and Public Performance

Wink : the incredible life and epic journey of Jimmy Winkfield / Ed Hotaling.

Hotaling, Edward. . Wink : the incredible life and epic journey of Jimmy Winkfield / Ed Hotaling. [0071418628 (hardcover : alk. paper) ] Camden, Me. : McGraw-Hill, c2005.
Call#: Van Pelt Library SF336.W475 H68 2005

NYTimes Audio Slide Show: Black Maestro - jockey Jimmy Winkfield

Audio Slide Show: Black Maestro
As the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby approaches, the Times's Joe Drape recalls the legacy of African-American jockey Jimmy Winkfield.

An Uneven Playing Field for Female Sports Fans. Feminist teacher. Norton: 2005. Vol. 15, Iss. 2 pg. 166

This journal article discusses the reality that, despite popular opinion, female fans are just as knowledgable as male fans. This will present another example of evidence that contradicts the commonly held opinion that female fans are mostly into sports for the attractive guys.

Not now, honey, I'm watching the game : what to do when sports come between you and your mate / Kevin Quirk.

Quirk actually takes a serious attempt at a self-help book for Sportsaholics and their significant others. This is exactly the common perception of male sports fans that is necessary to counter the rising number of female fans. What do the two groups mean to one another? How do they reflect on their genders as a whole?

Sports spectators / Allen Guttmann.

Guttmann takes a historical stance on sports fans, beginning all the way back in Ancient Roman and Greek times. He also presents the idea of the "hooligan." The concept of the "hooligan" is deceptively complicated, but seems to embody what most would claim to be masculine traits with aggressiveness being a major foundation. What do these "hooligans" imply on female sports fans?

American fan : sports mania and the culture that feeds it / Dennis Perrin.

Perrin illuminates a variety of aspects of American fans, in particular sports radio hosts. His discussion of the prevalence of male hosts highlights the gender bias present within sports media, let alone fan cultures.

Sportsex / Toby Miller.

Miller discusses the relatively recent shift in sports fan cultures, particularly with the marketing shift that has targeted female sports fans. It is interesting to see how he takes on lesbianism in relation to sports. There is a lot of great material to use in relation to my paper.

Sports Illustrated For Women

Sports Illustrated for Women ended its publication back in 2002. This could imply a lack of female sports fans to read this magazine. In looking at this website, especially in comparison to Sports Illustrated's website, it is clear that not as much work or effort went into its creation. Although, this difference could be from the 3 year span between when SI for women ended and today, during which SI's website could have had major additions and transformations.

Biased Evaluations of In-Group and Out-Group Spectator Behavior at Sporting Events: The Importance of Team Identification and Threats to Social Identity

This article focuses on the psychological aspects of being a fan. By including a psychological perspective, in particular one that discusses inclusion and exclusion from fan cultures, the implications of being included in a fan culture despite being female will be explicated, as well as vice versa.

Stronger women get, the more men love football : sexism and the American culture of sports / Mariah Burton Nelson.

This article was cited in the "Myth of the 'Puck Bunny'" article. The strength of women affecting the fandom of men implies that the questioning of gender norms for one sex affects how the other views themselves. This could corrulate with the argument that female fans are seen in opposition to gender norms.

Using Sex and Gender Role Orientation to Predict Level of Sport Fandom

This is the first article to differentiate between biological sex and gender constructions. This differentiation comes as a test to see if gender constructions or sex were a better predictor of who would be a fan. By differentiating between gender and sex, this article helps to clarify whether being a sports fan conflicts with the gender norms associated with being a woman.

Responses of Male and Female Metropolitans to the Commercialization of Professional Sport 1960 to 1975

This article presents an older look at sports fans, prior to the recent influx of female fans, which again is up for debate. The authors attempt to differentiate sex associations based on different aspects of being a fan. With an older look at fan behavior, the recent popularization of female fans can be determined as a changed perception or an actual increase in the numbers of female fans.

The Myth of the 'Puck Bunny': Female Fans and Men's Ice Hockey

Crawford and Gosling attempt to debunk the myth of the 'puck bunny.' In their efforts, they recognize no difference in knowledge between male and female fans. This significant disjuncture from common beliefs helps to legitimize female fans as being genuine.

Fantoo.com Women's Sports T-shirts - Take One for the Team

This is yet another indication of the corporate benefits being enjoyed by the increase in female fans or perhaps just the increased awareness of female fans. There could be no significant increase in female fans, but the perception of these fans could be changing. This website offers an alternative view of female fans from the negative portrayal usually associated with such an idea.

NFL.com - Official Site of the National Football League

NFL.com will help provide information on the significance of feminized sports hats and other such products. As mentioned in another article, presence of pink hats has caused a significant response by both women and men. Women tend to like them, whereas men think they are wrong, infuriating, or any number of other negative opinions.

Female and Male Sport Fans: A Comparison of Sport Consumption Motives

These authors try to determine the likelihood of men and women to become fans in general and then more specifically as fans according to gender to comparable sports like, college basketball. Also, it counters the many articles that emphasize and often exaggerate the number of female fans, finding data that denies an equal level of fans in both sexes. Men, of course, are more represented as fans.

Self and Product Image Congruency Among Male and Female Minor League Ice Hockey Spectators: Implications for Women's Consumption of Professional Sports

This article takes a significantly more involved advertising slant. It provides another example of how female sports fans are becoming a force to be reckoned with, be it their male counterparts or advertisers. In particular, this showed that advertisers need to differentiate their marketing strategies for men and women, because although they are all fans, the "image congruency" is lacking.

Relationships Among Spectator Gender, Motives, Points of Attachment and Sport Preference

Trail and Robinson focus on intercollegiate sports, but offer interesting statistics about spectators as a whole. Their focus on advertising relates to the advertisers of professional sports. However, an argument could be made that female college fans do not carry over into professional sports fans, due to the specialized setting under which their fandom is developed.

Males' Impressions of Female Fans and Nonfans: There Really is 'Something About Mary'

The authors attempt to distinguish a difference in perception of female fans by men who were sports fans themselves or nonfans. How men perceive female fans is crucial in determining the implications that female fans have on the fan cultures of professional sports, as well as, gender constructions.

'Girls Night Out' At a Ballpark

The article exposes the significant effect that female fans have had on professional sports. An entire night devoted to female fans is the premise of this article. Also, it shows how advertisers are being influenced by the realization that women are interested in sports.

Multi-hued Caps Make Me See Red

This article fits in with my argument that the presence of women fan's in a fan culture predominantly made up of men causes significant changes to gender constructions as well as the fan culture, itself. This article focuses on the creation of pink hats for almost every professional sports team. The author finds fault with this creation, which adds weight to the belief that women "shouldn't" like sports.

Female Fans Come Alive - TV Guide

I am not sure whether I will be actually able to use this article, because it does not appear when I click on the link from PennText. However, from the abstract in EBSCO, it seems like it would fit right in with my argument that female fan cultures affect gender norms. It is a TV Guide Survey of NFL female fans, with attention being drawn toward the affects that female fans have had on the NFL, particularly in its product line.

Globalization of Sports

This article discusses the globalization of companies. It looks at the effects of the sports market on a global scale. The article looks to the past to track the movement of globalization and how sports has added to the wide-scale market.

Controversies in Sports

This article looks at the progression of big time college sports such as football and basketball into a market. It explores the growth of athletics and movement toward equality between men's and women's sports. The article also discusses the affects on education from a growing sports market.

Sports Literature

Crowe examines the sports literature read by kids. It also talks about the general feeling of Americans about sports and how that relates to the literature read.

Sports and Politics

Strenk ties together politics and sports. Although the two spheres should not cross or influence each other, he claims that sports is a way to gain the favor of the public and a way to spread propaganda.