File(s) to download
A-Rod attorney: Allegations �will never stand up� - Video on TODAY.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.today.com/video/today/52791341#52791341
The A-Rod Files: Every Mention of the Yankees Slugger in Tony Bosch's Records | Miami New Times. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2013/01/the_a-rod_files_every_mention.php
Alex Rodriguez Suspended 211 Games Without Pay A Rod Steroid Scandal Punishment. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gISLuBHgbw
Alex Rodriguez timeline: From Mariners top pick to Biogenesis dope, a look back at A-Rod’s big league career - NY Daily News. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/a-rod-timeline-top-pick-biogenesis-dope-article-1.1418119
Bud Selig Poses With A Kid Wearing An “A*Roid” T-Shirt. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://deadspin.com/bud-selig-poses-with-a-kid-wearing-an-a-roid-t-shirt-963517425
The Case of Alex Rodriguez - 60 Minutes Videos - CBS News. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-case-of-alex-rodriguez/
Derek Jeter Talks A-Rod And The Current MLB Performance Enhancing Drugs Scandal (VIDEO). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/09/derek-jeter-talks-a-rod-doping-scandal-video_n_3729995.html
Drake Impersonates Alex Rodriguez On 'Saturday Night Live' (VIDEO). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/20/drake-alex-rodriguez-snl-video_n_4632465.html
Mike Trout: PED Cheats Should Get Boot From MLB « CBS New York. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/08/12/mike-trout-on-wfan-ped-cheats-should-get-boot-from-baseball/
Article vs. Blog
Sports Writer
Kevin T. Czerwinski is a sports writer for USA Today and MLB.com as well as a professor at Pace University. He wrote a special for USA Today Sports called “MLB draft prep ‘quite a production’” which paints a picture for the reader what the Major League Baseball’s annual drafting process is like. He opens up the story with “It’s all about the boards” then quickly explains what he meant by that and what the boards are used for “There will be the big board in each team's draft room. That's the one listing the must-have players. There will be the side boards and smaller boards or whatever names each organization attaches to these. Those are the ones with the secondary players, the ones usually selected after the 10th round.” While reading this my mind instantly thought of the movie “Money Ball” where Brad Pitt plays general manager to the Oakland A’s and attempts to put together a competitive team for 2002 despite Oakland’s limited payroll.
I enjoyed the flow and structure of the column for USA Today. Czerwinski talks about the process before the draft such as scouting, what goes on between the first pick and last selection, and what happens at the end of the draft. He quoted Gary LaRocque the special assistant to general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals on scouts stating "If I could run a scout off a player that told me to be careful. But if he battled me back and said we can't get off that player, then I would go after that player. I want to know everything the scout knows, so I can make an informed decision." I liked that quote a lot because it shows the intensity of the discussion during the draft. Czerwinski’s sense of storytelling made me want to keep reading.
Kevin Czerwinski also blogs for MLB.com and I find his blog to be less entertaining for me as the reader. “Clock ticks on Draft signing deadline” was less of a story and more like bullet points about top players in the draft. He gives some background on the athlete such as if or where they play college ball and whether or not they would like to pursue an education to decide if a deal can be made with a team. The blog talks more about the contracts and potential money each player could make for playing baseball and teams deciding if they are willing to pay them the money to have them on the team.
I think sports writers have the potential to influence viewer’s opinions because they use information about players and the game to generate an opinion. It’s not brainwashing but they might give the reader some new information they didn’t already know that could possibly generate them to have a similar opinion. The blog would have a bigger influence on the reader because it states facts about athletes and the column was highlighting the process of drafting not those being drafted.
Ryan Lochte
The eleven-time Olympic medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte has an estimated net worth of $3 million dollars according to Celebritynetworth.org. Most of his income he receives from endorsement deals with Speedo, Mutual of Omaha, Gillette, Gatorade, Proctor and Gamble, Ralph Lauren, Nissan, and AT&T. Here is a chart Celebritynetworth.org made to break down Ryan's earnings for 2012.
Lochte also receives stipends of between $1,500 and $3,000 per month from USA Swimming depending on how many appearances he makes. His Speedo contract runs through 2016 and his agent Erika Wright tells Bloomberg.com his Speedo contract is valued in the "high six figures and can go into seven figures depending on how he does in the water.
During an interview Lochte tells Jeanine Poggi of Ad Age Media New how he chooses which brand to work with. He says he picks "the brands to work with that best represents who I am. Sponsors who come on know exactly what they get with me". Currently Lochte is training for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero.
Notre Dame AD supports Te'o
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick held an impromptu press conference after a Deadspin article revealed that supposed girlfriend of linebacker Manti Te’o never existed.
Swarbrick started the press conference by telling the press that the story belongs to Te’o and that it is his story to tell. He explains the steps taken by the school to find the truth behind the hoax by meeting with Manti and initiating an investigation to assist Manti and his family in discovering the motive behind this hoax. The school supports Te’o and believes he is a victim of a "very elaborate, very sophisticated hoax with a certain cruelty at its core."
Swarbrick looked very uncomfortable during the entire press conference because it wasn’t his story to tell and he did not have all the answers to the questions asked by the press. The questions asked by the press were very direct and straightforward but unfortunately Swarbrick could not answer the questions asked. The conference would have been more productive and informative if Te’o himself was to hold the press conference.
Duke Lacrosse Case News Release
Duke Students Falsely Accused
Three lacrosse players from Duke University were falsely accused of raping North Carolina Central University student Crystal Gail Mangum at an off campus house party held in Durham, North Carolina.
Three members of the team Collin Finnerty (19) and Reade Seligmann (20) were arrested and indicted on charges of first degree forcible rape, first degree sexual offence and kidnapping. The rape charges were eventually dropped when inconsistencies started showing up in Mangum’s story
District attorney Mike Nifong called the alleged assult a hate crime and falsely represented to the public that Mangum’s DNA was of a single male source. DNA results revealed Mangum had sex with multiple male partners who were neither of the 46 team members who provided cheek swabs and statements to the police the days after the party.
The case also led to the disbarment of Nifong. A disciplinary panel found him guilty of fraud, dishonesty, deceit, or misrepresentation; making false statements of material fact before a judge; of making false statements of material fact before bar investigators and of lying about withholding exculpatory DNA evidence.
Duke suspended the team for two games on March 28, 2006. The coach Mike Pressler was forced to resign after receiving threatening e-mails, and hate calls. Duke President Richard Brodhead cancelled the rest of the season.
My Week Following @NastiaLiukin
Social media has given sports fans a chance to connect with their favorite team or sports personality. Many athletes such as the 2008 Olympic individual all around gymnastics champion Nastia Liukin use social networks such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to include theirs fans in on their lives. In the past week Nastia Liukin was using twitter to promote the Nastia Liukin Cup and thanking the sponsors of the event.
The Nastia Liukin Cup is an annual artistic gymnastics competition held in the United States and hosted by the Olympic gymnast herself. The first competition was held in 2010 through the partnership between Liukin and USA Gymnastics to début pre-elite competitors on a national stage.
NastiaLiukin Nastia Liukin Cup is Friday!! Catch it on @universalsports at 7:30pm ET http://t.co/Z1HZWxsWyh
Posted 8 days ago
NastiaLiukin Thank you @gkelite for the beautiful leotards for the #NastiaCup ?? http://t.co/91zmUkHzJb
Posted 6 days ago
NastiaLiukin Thank you @AAIequipment for providing the best equipment for our girls tonight #NastiaCup http://t.co/wvNjMPoLLV
Posted 5 days ago
Liukin was also using Twitter to show her fans she cares about them. Even though Liukin appeals to a small audience she is very grateful for the fans she does have and makes and effort to show them. Liukin says, "My partnership with USA Gymnastics has given me the opportunity to connect with young girls and talk about the importance of commitment, dedication, sportsmanship and goals in their lives. Meeting with each year's competitors is incredible for me, and I look forward to this year's event” http://usagym.org/pages/events/nlc/
NastiaLiukin Special moment with the girls before they compete tonight #NastiaCup http://t.co/5ZEcVXFpCe
Posted 5 days ago
NastiaLiukin Moments like this make my heart smile ?? http://t.co/SllLWIbVp5
Posted 4 days ago
Social media just like everything else in this world, is good in moderation. For Nastia Liukin, she benefits from social media. Her fans get the opportunity to feel like they are apart of her life and she does a very good job managing her Twitter account. None of her posts are negative all of them are promoting her in a good way.
When it comes to student athletes Universities should have social media guidelines for their athletes because not only do the athletes represent themselves as individuals they also represent the school, their teammates, and their families. Many Universities such as USC, University of Michigan, and Princeton sign a social media policy to encourage their athletes to present a positive image.
https://saas.usc.edu/files/2012/08/USC-Student-Athlete-Social-Media-Policy-Sign-Off.pdf
Impact of Televised Sports on Audience
Viewing televised sports violence does not have a negative impact on audiences if the spectators sees the violence as a form of entertainment. If the spectator sees the athletes’ actions as being violent, they are more likely to engage in violent activity. There are three factors related to sports violence that are needed to be taken into consideration before determining if sports violence has a negative effect on its audiences, such as the action in the sport itself, the crowd dynamics and the situation in which the spectators watch the event and the historical, social, economic, and political contexts in which the event is planned and played.
The book Sports in Society, the author Jay J. Coakleytalks about learning to use violence as a strategy in contact and non-contact sports. Athletes in heavy contact and collision sports such as hockey and football use intimidation, aggression, and violence as strategies to achieve competitive success on the field. Athletes also use intimidation and violence to promote their careers, increase drama for the spectators, and enhance publicity for their sports and sponsors. In some non-contact sports, participants may try to intimidate opponents but violence is rare. Coakley uses the example of “tennis players being fined for slamming a ball to the ground in protest or talking to an official or opponent in a menacing manner, but they’re seldom, if ever, rewarded for violent actions”.
Most people watch sports on television in their homes. Coakley says “people who watch sports at home may express emotions and become angry at certain points”, but there have been no studies or evidence on when and why people express anger through violence directed towards friends and family members at home. Violence among people who watch televised sports in public settings such as bars, pubs, and around large video screens in public areas is also hard to determine because of various factors such as alcohol consumption, historical and social contexts.
When it comes to historical, social, economic and political contexts between sports teams I think of the rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. The rivalry began in the early 19th century when both clubs were based in New York. In 1957 Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley decided to move the team to Los Angeles for financial reasons. He also convinced the Giants owner Horace Stoneham to maintain the rivalry between the two teams and bring his team to California also. Los Angeles and San Francisco have and will continue to be competitors in the economic, cultural and political arenas. The most recent historical moment in the Dodger-Giants rivalry happened on Opening Day of the 2011 season two Dodgers fans severely beat Giants fan Bryan Stow in the Dodgers Stadium parking lot. Though Dodgers fan Pete Marron shot and killed Giants fan Marc Antenorcruz after a game in LA on September 19, 2003 (the 2nd known murder due to the Dodgers-Giants rivalry), this incident brought more attention to safety at rivalry games, appalling the fans in both cities, and became a national media story. The following week, when Los Angeles began a three-game series in San Francisco, both teams joined together on the field in an unprecedented call for peace and civility from the fans (dodger-giants.com).
In the end it is up the viewer to make the decision to enjoy sports as calm, respectful human being or to act like an animal and let the violence on TV reflect on their actions.
Works Cited
Coakley, Jay J., and Jay J. Coakley. Sports in Society: Issues & Controversies. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2007. Print.
"Dodgers-Giants: Baseball's Greatest Rivalry." Dodgers-giants. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.