Reading Response 8

Before reading this chapter, I had no idea how much money people actually put at stake when it comes to playing fantasy sports. I also did not know how many people used online sites for fantasy sports. The companies like “Fan Duel” and Draft Kings” are quick to show how much money some people have won, but they will not show you how much money so many people have lost. They also don’t tell you the number of people who lose money. The companies swear on their graves that their sites are purely for entertainment, but any game that involves money and no skill-based matches is clearly gambling,

Online sports console gaming has been on the rise in the past few years. E-sports as they call it. While traditionally e-sports was strictly related to shooting games with HALO being e-sports origin, and Call of Duty it’s catalyst, actual sports games have taken over. Competitive tournaments of games such as 2K and Madden are now becoming increasingly popular.

Reading Response 7

When it comes to sports and politics in the last couple decades, you can’t have one without the other. Many athletes have used their stardom and screen time to openly express their political views and opinions. Muhammed Ali used his popularity as one of the world’s greatest boxers to promote the civil rights movement and his Islamic views. In recent years, we saw Kapernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem which started a movement among athletes and even influenced everyday people. The mix of politics and sports goes beyond just individuals. A few years back, politics affected the international soccer league, FIFA. Several countries were found guilty of bribing members of the league for them to be able to host major tournaments including the World Cup.

Sports Gambling

There’s no doubt that sports gambling, and fantasy sports are giant staples in today’s society. Until recently i had no idea how controversial fantasy betting  really was. I truly thought that websites like FanDuel and Draft Kings were just places were you can have the fun of playing fantasy sports and maybe when some money. Occasionally i heard of people winning good money but nothing serious. Little did i know that these sites are on the verge of being illegal. Barley squeaking by congressional legislation that would make their operation illegal in the united states. I also had no idea that people take it so seriously that they use computer algorithms and similar tactics to gain an advantage.  People actually play these gaming sites as an occupation, betting thousands of dollars every day. Its unbelievable, the games i thought that were for fun are actually what put food on the table for some people. In my opinion though dangerous , sports gambling should not be illegal in the U.S. A person should be entitled to spend their money anyway they seem fit, because its their money. Granted gambling can be an addiction, and ruin lives, but its a constitutional right. Thats right, i believe it unconstitutional for the government to pass legislation that has to do with sports gambling.

RR9

To make Chapter 9 much more simple than the “Commodification of Sports,” it covers the idea of how sports has become bought and sold, when it was never really intended for such use. Sports is a huge revenue for participants as well as a number of different companies that each have a different investment in sports.

Rather than sports being viewed as simply entertainment, it has now become a business. Organizations like the NCAA profit from their athletes by charging high ticket prices to watch the events. The same goes for organizations like the NBA or NFL, that market their games to large audience across the country and sometimes even the world.

With the large network of audience comes yet another revenue source comes to light. The advertising, that companies from all around the globe perform, is one of the top revenue generators. For example, 30 second ads during the super bowl cost over 1 million dollars. However, companies believe it is worth the money for the kind of exposure it generates.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 deals with the performing identity in sports. To be specific the identities of gender, race, and disabilities.  The books definition of performance has nothing to do with athletic ability , but how something is represented.  So to be specific this chapter is about how gender, sexuality, race, and disabilities are represented in sports.  To me this is a bit confusing. Why not just name the chapter “representation of identities in sports”. But i guess that would make to much sense. This is just another example of the author over doing it in terms of presenting facts. Its a book about sports, stop trying to be philosophical and be straight and to the point. Any who in my opinion it is hard to summarize the identity of so a large topic.  The word identity is such a intriguing word, and is best understood when talking about an individual, not a large group. I did like the addition of the paraplegic athletes. Para sports have made strides to become a thing of note in sports today. Its truly a great story, and a good cause. Today disabled athletes have so many more opportunities to play the sports they love , something that wasn’t possible in the past.

RR – Chapter 14

In chapter 14, it was interesting thinking about how sporting events make money and wondering if sports still exist because of money. Sports is a form of entertainment but it is also a business and a market. Without money, sports would not exist today. For example, new baseball stadiums are built to bring more people to the games which means that the ticket prices will go up. The bad thing about this method of making money is that fewer fans will show up over time. Money is important in sports because the team has to have money to buy equipment and needs money to travel. Money is also important because the athletes need to get paid and the players get paid millions of dollars. While reading this chapter I kept thinking about if athletes play sports just for the money or do they play because they enjoy it? I feel like now and days there is so much money that athletes are playing to make a living over actually enjoying the game. Team owners will do anything to make more money and sports today is very expensive.

Chapter 14: The Commodification of Sport

Chapter 14 talks about how sports has turned into something that is just bought and sold. In the United States, sports generate a huge amount of money. Whether it’s team apparel, tickets, television contracts or anything else related to a particular team or sporting event, teams and leagues are looking to make money wherever they possibly can.

Teams and leagues have several corporate sponsorships that vary depending on the organization. Sports have become very commercialistic, particularly with the internet taking off like it has in the past 20 or so years. While money does play a huge role in the sports world, it should not be the only factor.

The NCAA generates billions dollars of revenue every year, but still refuses to pay its athletes. These athletes, particularly Division I football and basketball players, make tons of money for their schools and never see a dime of it fall into their own pocket. Instead, the presidents, athletic directors and coaches of these big-name universities are rolling in cash, along with the big wigs of the NCAA.

The commodification of sport is something that is unavoidable in today’s society, but if you’re going to be making countless dollars behind these 18-22 year old’s names, they need to be able to collect some of the money that is being made off of them.

Chapter 14: The commodification of Sport

Commodification refers to the process by which capitalism transforms objects from their natural purpose to objects that are “for sale”.  Sports media from ESPN to Sports Illustrated reported the story and used it to frame a familiar sports narrative about inspiration and overcoming adversity. Sports is more commonly viewed as a form of entertainment or escape. College football among the most popular and profitable sports in the United States. It draws a large television audience, produces millions of dollars, and generates considerable enthusiasm on college and university campus across the country.This year when Georgia was in the championship game all places was pack just to watch the game. The championship ticket starting at $1,909 for the game in Atlanta, Ga the rose bowl ticket against Iowa vs. Stanford on Jan 1, 2016, started at $627. A lot of people are even willing to spend more to have field side sit at games.

Sponsorship is about more than companies purchasing space or time to advertise their products and services. A commercial presence has always been a part of sports, critics are concerned that the breadth of sponsorship has negative effects on sporting events and those who watch them. Commodification in sports often functions to sell if not actual people imagery of people and cultures.

 

RR8 – CH. 15

The first major discovery I made while reading chapter 15 was the fact that fantasy football is was over 40 years old. Personally, I believed it to be only about 10-15 years old.   My next realization was the fact that the number of players for online sports gambling sites was a lot higher than they want you to believe. And most of the people lose a lot of money rather than win, like they advertise. The companies executives don’t believe their sites to be gambling but claim them to be purely “entertainment.” However, sites like these, where real money is involved and it does not require all skill, should be considered gambling.

Another development seen over the past years has been the rise of sports games. Games such as FIFA and 2K have taken over the sports world while Call of Duty and Halo took over the world of E-Gaming. However, controversy hit the industry over the use of real names and faces being used in the games. EA sports, in turn, stopped the production of NCAA football since 2014 due to the controversies. For fans of the game, hopefully the issues get resolved and the game is proceeded once again.

Chapter 15

The most interesting part of chapter 15 was the section on sports video games.  Video games are an enormous business and continue to grow everyday.  With the advances in technology the creators of these games have been able to make them as realistic as possible.  The games have high quality graphics and use the real players from the actual sports world.  They can even make the players movements look how they do in real life.  Sports video games really help the sports world by allowing fans to interact with their favorite players and teams through the games.  The games are also a way to boost popularity of a player, team, or sport.  Every sports video game has a player on the cover of the game which can lead to that player or their team having an increased popularity through the game.  The growing technology has allowed fans to heavily interact with their favorite teams and players.  The other side of sports gaming is the fantasy side of sports.  With this the players of the fantasy sports interact with players and teams by investing money in them and hoping to win and receive the reward.  Fantasy sports are very popular and don’t necessarily have to involve money.  The world of sports gaming is a very popular field and will continue to grow over time.