Highlight Reel of SM 2210

As a wrap-up, I would like to summarize my experience in this course. I remember I was very nervous the first week in class. I do not consider myself to be a sports nut and although I like playing and watching sports, I am not very knowledgeable. As we went through the first few weeks, I realized that I would be alright because the class focused on history and philosophical aspects relating to sports. Also, reading the book and articles were useful tools to understanding the topics of the class more completely. I am sure that if I was more knowledgeable about sports in general I would have been able to participate more in class discussion, but I feel I did the best I could.

There were two things that I really liked about this course. The first was all of the in-class discussions and philosophical discussion board questions. The other was the ethical presentations. The topics in the course allowed for great discussions to be had in class and on the discussion board. For example, a few of the topics from class were things like, do youth sports build character and why is soccer not a staple sport in America. I found that I was talking to people outside of class about these topics, because I think it is very interesting to hear others opinions. Whether their opinions were different or the same as mine the topics from class made for good conversation.

I thought it was going to be very difficult to talk about an ethical sports topic for my presentation because I did not realize just how many ethical issues there were surrounding sports. Although I was not able to comment on some of the topic because it was my first time hearing about the issue, I thought the majority of them created a lot of class discussion. I was surprised to hear some of the reactions from classmates, such as the discussion that the sportsmanship topic created. This part of the class really captured the philosophy side of sports and that is why it was so intriguing to me.

I am taking much more away from this course than just having learned about facts and dates of important times in the history of sports. Thinking back on the course as a whole, I feel that the most important thing I am able to do is to analyze and think about sports differently. I understand that some people are sports addicts and there is nothing wrong with that. I was able to see that come through in some of my classmates’ comments. I like sports a lot; I think that sports are a great form of entertainment and news. But sports are not life. I still can’t wrap my mind around why people get so amped up over a sporting event or sports team. I see sports as a part of life, but not life. Because at the end of the day, whether you win, lose or tie, life goes on.

One of my personal favorites from class was creating a blog. I really like technology of course that aspect interested me. But as for the class, I liked being able to expand on topics that were discussed or to address other sports related topics that were happening throughout the world. I enjoyed reading my classmates blog more than I liked writing my own posts. It was fascinating to read all the different posts, but also to read the similar posts and the differing view we all had on the same topic. Blogs can be a good medium for people who may not be as comfortable talking in front of people to express their ideas. I know for me I was able to collect my thoughts on a topic and do some research to support my opinions and then write a blog reflecting my ideas. Creating a blog also allowed for extra things, such as links to relating articles, pictures, and video clips, to be added to the posts. Technology is always advancing and I really like being able to utilize these new skills in class.

How will this class impact my future career? Part of me is still trying to pinpoint the answers to this question. I am still unsure as to exactly what I want to do, but the path I am on right now is event planning. It is very possible that a possible career field could be event planning for sporting teams. Do I think that I will use the names and dates learned throughout this course in my future career? Probably not, but as I mentioned I learned and was exposed to much more than just that in class. I think I will be able to use the philosophy aspect form class in all that I do. Sports are always going to be involved in my life in some way, so this class has had an impact on my life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course and would recommend it all. One of the first lectures in class, Dr. Spencer told us to take advantage of all the opportunities that are presented to us, so to sign off for the final time this semester are some lyrics from the DMB song Lie in Our Graves.

“I can’t believe that we would lie in our graves, wondering if we had spent all our living days well.”

Ethical Presentation: Tiger Woods

On Wednesday, December 2, a presentation was giving on a recent news story concerning yet another sports star ruining their public image. Tiger Woods, wholesome, committed, family-man, rocked his public image with the recent allegations and charges brought against him. With so many stories surrounding this case it’s hard to know what to believe. I am really glad that the guys gave this presentation because I think it raises two important questions. One is the question that was posed in class, “Were Tiger’s choices ethical…?” The other, more important question I think this raises though, is, “Should we even be worried about issues like this?”

From how I understand it, the facts of the case are that allegations were made at some point that Tiger has been and/or still is cheating on his wife with one or two women. All of these stories were blowing up in the news and media recently because on Friday, November 27, 2009, Tiger crashed his car around 2:30A.M. into a fire hydrant when he was leaving his house. Tiger is a public figure so naturally people are going to be nosey and want to know what is going on in his life, especially when things start to take a downward spin. Why was he leaving his house early in the morning? Why was the back window smashed in with a golf club? Why wasn’t he wearing shoes? The police department eventually will have to have these questions answered for their reports.

Tiger is a public figure so he is going to be in the public eye. I feel like all Tiger needs to do is just make a statement to the police answering the questions concerning the car accident. THAT IS ALL. As for any of the other question, he doesn’t owe anyone any answers but his wife, Elin. That is his private life and it should stay that way. Why are we so concerned with sports stars personal lives? They don’t owe us any answers or apologies. Some may say that sports stars and celebrities need to own up to their poor choice because they are looked up to and are role models for the youth. I think that situations where the sports stars make bad choice while playing their sports, such as those of Elizabeth Lambert, or Serena Williams, need to be addressed and apologized for. But not issues that happen at home. It blows my mind that stories like this make the regular news channels. How is that news? There are plenty of other stories that could be told that actually matter and affect people. Tiger Woods committing adultery is not public news!

As for Tigers’ public image though, he has really messed that up. We will never be able to look or think about Tiger Woods in the same way, but I don’t think his game will suffer because of it. Public image is important for sports stars it can lead to things like addition revenue because of endorsements. Reports have said that Tiger is not going to lose his endorsements or sponsorships and he is not hurting financially. Tiger has lost is his respect and credibility. When you think about the big picture of sports related to life, what Tiger lost was more important than what he was able to keep.

“I Did It, Guilty As Charged” [DMB; I Did It]