Scrapbook Item 6: Sports and the Economy

New Home of the New York Mets with an estimated cost of 900 million dollars

Here is a link to the article talking about whether or not new stadiums are worth it: http://www.american.com/archive/2008/april-04-08/a-closer-look-at-stadium-subsidies.

This topic was discussed in class on March 17, 2011, and also in Coakley's text on pages 375 through 379.  In this article the author goes into detail about the reasoning of why public funding is used for new stadiums, and how much.  Also he discusses if the stadiums actually help the surrounding areas economy enough to warrant public assistance, and the author actually suggests that new facilities hurt the local economy.

In Coakley's text on page 375 he states that public assistance for team owners to build new stadiums is "welfare for the rich", and the owners use this money for personal gain.  Also on pages 376 and 377 Coakley goes into detail about the lack of economic growth in areas with new stadiums.  If the cities are seeing no benefit from the stadium, then why should they be built?  As Coaley's text says on page 377, Cleveland built three new stadiums in the 1990's as there school system, and inner city neighborhoods were losing funding.  The public money spent on stadiums could be used elsewhere in major cities where many people are living in poverty, but the owners are receiving tax exemptions on their billion dollar stadiums.  As discussed in class the new jobs that come from these stadiums are only seasonal, and the construction companies used to build them come from out of town, which seem to be the leading reasons owners use to build new stadiums.  With so much money coming from the public they should see some benefit in the local area, but as of now the only thing the public is seeing is lack of funding for more important areas,and higher ticket prices.

The new Yankee Stadium in New York cost over 1 billion dollars to build.

Scrapbook Item 5: Can Sports Exist Without the Media?

Here is a link to the related article: http://www.theroar.com.au/2010/01/20/media-dictates-the-popularity-of-sports-in-australia/

The link between sports and the media is outlined in Coakley's text on pages 404-408, the same topic was discussed during class on March 21, 2011.  This article is a good example of how the media controls sports, and specifically which sports its viewing audience is interested in.  As stated in class, the media controls sports popularity by providing coverage of certain sports, and they dictate these sporting events by paying millions for the rights to broadcast them.  In the article the author writes that in Australia controls which sports are popular at specific times during the year, especially with the Australian Open in January.  He says without the media not as many people would care about tennis, but the Open provides a story for the media to cover.  This proves that the media says a say in the popularity of sports, without the media would as many people be interested in the Australian Open, or would they rather watch rugby, or soccer?

According to Coakley's text on page 404 he writes that the media does control the commercialized sports with media coverage and television rights revenues.  Coakley says that the sports organizations depend on these revenues and media coverage to draw attention to the sport, and without the media sports would not be as profitable.  In television rights alone in 2008 the NFL received 3.7 billion dollars compared to the 400 million in 1986.  The media provides the leagues with huge revenues just to cover their events.  As said in class the teams have changed schedules and times to fit the time slots of companies, and also added TV timeouts, and expanded leagues.  In the article the media has made tennis important, as the fan base continues to decline.  The sport fan has no choice but to watch the event if that is what the media is going to cover.  Who knows without the media would the Australian Open still exist?

Exclusive sports channels such as this one are growing worldwide, and will be the future of sports viewing.

Scrapbook Item 4: Do Varsity Sports Contribute to Education?

.

The following is a link to the article: http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/03/09/1046687/

The topic of education and athletics is discussed in Coakley's text on pages 481-490 and the same topic was covered during class throughout the first part of the semester.  This article illustrates a perfect example of athletes getting special treatment that general students do not receive.  As discussed in class this list of easier classes gives athletes easy grades and majors to help them stay eligible.  One professor in the article says that she thinks the list is needed to help athletes meet the high demands they have on the field.  This shows that even a school as prestigious as Stanford fails to put athletics first. 

As stated in Coakley's text on page 483 athletes are pressured by the team culture to focus more on their sport than academics so they can meet their coaches expectations.  Also, no one expects the athletes to be good students, and the only thing expected of them is to excel in his or her particular sport.  As discussed in class the pressure to win and to make money puts the focus more on athletic performance and not academics.  In Coakley's text on page 483 he states that athletes are not praised for doing good academically, but only for their on field performance.  In page 487 in the text Coakley also says that athletes spend more time engaging in their sport than in the classroom.  This article is disappointing especially coming from an institution who values education as much as Stanford.  For years the school has struggled competing in sports due to their academic requirements.  However with the latest news it looks like Stanford has caved in just like too many other schools.  It looks like the temptation of millions is too much for any school to ignore, even if that means sacrificing the academic excellence the school once had. 



The following is a link to a video related to the above topic: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=8004606.

Scrapbook Item 3: Does Looking at the Past Help Us Learn About the Future

 

This article talks about the NFL Labor dispute and how we can learn from the past to make sure that the NFL does not ruin its brand: http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2011/3/7/2033804/nfl-lockout-nhl-gary-bettman-nhlpa.
During class this semester we took a look at the past and questioned if learning about the past helps us understand sports today and in the future.  This topic is also discussed in Coakley's text on pages 71 through 73 as he discusses the organization and purpose of modern sports.  This article goes into detail about the current NFL labor dispute and how this is similar to the NHL lockout of 2004.  You can not turn on a television or open a newspaper without hearing about the current NFL labor dispute.  The thought of losing thousands of jobs and millions of dollars to local economies is troubling, especially when the problem is a disagreement between billionaires and millionaires.  According to Coakley's text on page 71, the organization of sports began in the late 1800's.  This organization has slowly developed from proper attire and way to play the game to the corrupt owner's we have in professional sports today.  This process of development of the organization of sports is the major threat to take the games we all enjoy away.  Instead of learning from the past the current owner's have decided to go after every penny of the nine billion dollars of revenue the NFL produces.  If the league and its owner's fail to learn from the past and better their league for the future the NFL may become what the NHL is; irrelevant.



The following is a link to a video of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discussing the NFL lockout: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6125144

Scrapbook Item 2: Are Organized Youth Sports Worth the Effort?

Here is a link to an article talking about whether youth sports are worth it: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/default/article/Are-priceless-childhood-moments-worth-youth-767797.php

During class we discussed the topic of whether youth sports are worth the effort and cost.  This information is also discussed in chapter four in Coakley's textbook on pages 139 through 146.  In this article the enormous cost of youth sports is discussed, and if these costs are worth it.  In class we learned that 47 million children participated in youth sports programs nationwide.  An article on Smart Money says that an average youth sport participant spends between 1000 and 3500 dollars a year on equipment and registration.  The privatization of youth sports is the main reason of the recent increase of costs.  The free publicly funded programs are now being cut due to the need for the money elsewhere. 

According to Coakley's text on page 139 a panel of experts recently graded the major parts of youth sports.  The highest grade of any area was officiating which only received a B-.  The lowest grade was for child centered philosophy which should be the most important area when it comes to youth sports.  Which raises the question if youth sports are worth it or not.  In class the benefits of youth sports we discussed were to develop fitness, prepare for adulthood, learn values, teach interactive skills, and to learn leadership skills.  As it states in Coakley's text the learning of these values are not learned automatically of course.  In order to ensure that youth sports are worth the time and cost we must ensure that the adults involved in them make the right decisions to help our youth get the most out of their sport experiences.  Also as future sport managers we must make sure that young athletes enjoy their sport experiences so they remain interested in these activities for years to come, to ensure that the sport industry continues to grow. 

Types of Youth Sport: Public and Private

Public Recreation Programs- These programs are publically funded and supported by the community and empasize fun and inclusion. 

Public Non-Profit Community Programs- These include organizations such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs.  These programs focus on development but are starting to dissappear due to costs. 

Private Non Profit Organizations- These organizations are becoming more popular and include more travel and registration costs to players and families.

Private Commercial Clubs- These clubs are for elite athletes and emphasize winning and competition.  These clubs costs thousands for athletes to attend.

Scrapbook Item 1: Why Should We Study Sports

Here Are Some Reasons Talked About in Class:

70% of Americans identify as being sports fans

1/4 of the USA Today's space is dedicated to sports with over 100 journalists covering them

1/10 of the World Almanac is dedicated to sports

The sports industry is the fourth largest industry in the United States and the eeleventh largest in the world with revenues of 213 billion dollars.

Sports gambling is still big business with 2.4 billion dollars wagered legally and 308 billion dollars illegally.