Reading the Muscular Body (10/20/09 Class)

White and Gillett's article "Reading the Muscular Body: A Critical Decoding of Advertisements in Flex Magazine"gives an incredible perspective of a form of popular press regarding bodybuilding. The authors discuss various identities males take on when deciding to become body builders and how their insanely toned bodies are a representation of hegemonic masculinity. White and Gillett studied the advertisements in Flex Magazine based on two characteristics: descriptive (what products were promoted) and textual (the themes represented).

In bodybuilding magazines, the pages are filled with supplements, training equipment and sometimes clothing. The men/women promoting these products are ripped, abnormal human beings that "supposedly" used the specific products to increase their muscle mass. However, what is inferred is that many of these "athletes" used anabolic steroids to look the way they do. To a naive reader, these body builders went through blood, sweat and tears to create the image they portray. To a realistic consumer, the reality is much less inspirational.

My group had Shape magazine and we found the articles and advertisements to be very feminine and conservative. Shape was trying to influence a healthy lifestyle to middle-aged active women (possibly mothers). The themes represented throughout the pages were inspiring and enlightening. I felt very calm and peaceful when browsing the pages of Shape. Everyone has their own opinion about the human body and how body builders should present themselves. Without passing judgement, Flex magazine has a very dominant, bold and cut-throat way of directing the themes of their advertisements. Clearly, the targeted consumers and subscribers have different lifestyles and that is the beauty of a target market. Brands can be specific and create material that is appealing to certain persons.

Body builders have a unique lifestyle and have, what seems to be, 0% body fat. They are fierce competitors and attempt to make a living off of their bodies. Magazines have a special role in popular culture. They educate the reader on various topics and subject them to material they have an interest in.

A Life Without Disabilities

Fortunately, I have never had to experience any form of mental or physical disability. I was blessed with "normal" features and am able to participate in any activity I wish without too much complication. Our class discussion about various disabled persons in sport made me appreciate my life in a way I typically do not think about.

Adam Bender's success story touched me. The article "Kid can do it on one leg" was inspiring but it wasn't until I watched the video that I was truly inspired. The amount of pain and heartache that young boy has had to endure thus far is staggering. He has had to face challenges I cannot begin to imagine and I am twice his age! I was very impressed with his enthusiasm and will to achieve. He was a tough player and did not let his disability get in the way of having a normal childhood experience.

Some of the most famous people in the world have had some form of disability. The same is true of athletes. Helen Keller was blind and deaf and yet everyone knows her name and her story. The Special Olympics is known worldwide and has gotten increasingly popular each year since it's existence. The word "disabled" is often a false assumption of a human being because many disabled persons do not consider themselves as being unable to do something! Their spirit is incredible and cannot be matched.

If I had a disability, it is hard to imagine how I might participate in athletics. Because I have grown up playing sports and passionately follow several teams, I would like to believe that I would not let anything get in the way of that. I would hope that my spirits would remain as high as my support systems and that God would give me the strength to start each day with a bright smile and positive attitude. I think I would continue playing sports because it defines me and who I am. I am making a career in athletics and I want to be around sports for the rest of my life. I don't think anything can stop me from achieving that dream :)

An Athletic Directors' Dilemma (10/6/09 Class)

An athletic director has a very difficult job. He/she has to be on top of his/her game at all times. After reading this article written by Charles Kennedy, I grasped a better understanding of the seasonal conflicts that a person in an athletic directors position has to deal with. It's safe to say that I would never want to be responsible for either male or female athletes in an intercollegiate conference.

In the 2005-2006 academic year, major college spending was expected to exceed estimates of $4 billion (Kennedy, 2007). This extremely large sum of money is a direct result of the "arms race" colleges and universities have amongst each other. Because athletics are so competitive, spending large chunks of a budget is inevitable. College sports have become cult-like in nature. Faithful fans expect their beloved teams to be the best in the conference and throughout the nation each season, despite the sport. Since the passing of Title IX, athletics have arguably become more proportional, giving females more opportunities than previous years. An athletic directors job is to oversee the coaching staff to maintain compliance with Title IX, hire successful coaches that will, in return, create successful programs. An athletic director is responsible for the technical details within intercollegiate athletics that often go unnoticed without any thought.

To comply with Title IX, athletic directors have to pay attention to the following key areas of their respective schools: participation, scholarship, operating expenses, recruitment budget and coaching salaries. Obviously, it is no easy task! Each year, athletic directors have administrators working underneath them to aide in the process of the daily tasks. An athletic department runs on team effort and precise, effective work. In many cases, the reputation of a program lies in the hands of the athletic department and it's various pieces of the puzzle.

Kennedy writes about each of the previously listed key areas of Title IX compliance and breaks down the top ten conferences in the nation based on the "Kennedy Index" (taken from The Chronicle of Higher Education). The index lists the conferences and how they comply with the 5 criterion of Title IX. Based on the index, the MAC was the #1 conference with a score of -21.34. The MAC has the highest mid-major teams with 16 (7M-9F). The WAC is the lowest with 14 teams (6M-8F) (Kennedy, 2007 p.38, 42).

An athletic director has an enormous amount of responsibility to both the school and the athletic program. Luckily, the athletic department hires experts who know how to follow the rules on paper and be successful on the court. Title IX has no doubt made an athletic director's job more tedious and particular.

2009 Homecoming Symposium

I had an amazing experience during today's homecoming symposium. The BGSU graduates were terrific speakers and I learned a lot from their personal experiences. I appreciate the men taking the time to visit their Alma mater and give us (college students) a taste of a reality that is different from our daily class routines. I had the opportunity to interview with two different gentleman: Dan Jones, VP of Events for Intersport and Bob Gearhart, Sales Consultant for the Lake Erie Monsters. These interviews made my passion for the sport industry even more intense. I hope to intern with one of these organizations next semester. Although my interviews seemed to be successful, the biggest lesson I am taking from today came from Mr. Jones's speech during the 1:30 session titled "4 Questions You Can't Live Without."

These questions are as follows:

1. Are you passionate about it?
2. Can you be absolutely great at it?
3. Will it achieve your financial goals?
4. Can you be proud of it?

Mr. Jones explained that in every aspect of our lives, we should ask ourselves these questions prior to taking on a task or job. He persuaded us to compare these questions to daily life and unless all 4 questions are answered "YES!" then DO NOT partake in the activity or job! Life is too short and many opportunities will pass by if we do not ask ourselves these questions. Time is too precious to be wasted on something that cannot fulfill these 4 duties.

As I ponder these questions, I can relate them to my major: Sports Marketing. 1. I am VERY passionate about my field and I am very anxious to graduate and gain real world experience. 2. I will be great at my job because of my passion and because of the knowledge and experience I have accumulated over the 4 years at BGSU. 3. Sports Marketing will achieve my financial goals in one form or another. Student loans will quickly arrive, as will a rent or mortgage payment. However, I will sacrifice my personal wants in order to work in an industry I love so dearly. 4. I can be proud of my career focus and personal goal to be a Sports Marketer because consumers of sport are cult-like and live and breathe for athletics. People need sports as an outlet or hobby. My job will be important because it affects a large chunk of the population. I am already proud of myself thus far and I know I am just beginning this journey called life.

Most of today's speeches dealt with gaining experience and networking. I was already aware of these two crucial ways to help get a job but having the concepts pounded into my head was exactly what I needed to get motivated prior to graduation. Today was so fun and I am grateful to have been a part of it and learn from my peers.