(Blog 16)

Hey Everyone, finally the last blog!!!
So for my last blog I really didn't know what to write about so I decided to blog about a television show that I have just recently started watching. It's on the CMT channel and it's called "The World's strictest Parents". I was watching it today and have only seen a few of the other episodes, but it always seems to get me when I turn it on. Haha.

It is basically about these spoiled, misbehaving kids whose parent's get fed up with them and then send them off to live in a different lifestyle. With stricter, crazier parents, who seem to have some interesting horrible punishments. The two episodes I have seen they have sent city kids on to the farm, they were kids with troubled homes, where their kids can get away with anyone so they were put on these farms for discipline.

The show is pretty good but it seems like it is a bit staged. In the show, there is always one huge blow out between the "parents" and the two different kids that are sent there. The argument is over the top and seems a little bit staged like they were told to act like that. Then later in the show they have a big long talk and then get along. Also throughout the whole show they say how much they hate their "new parents" then in the end usually say how much they "love" them when they have to go back to their real homes.

They show I think is a good one because it teaches these city kids that there is more to life then material things. They also learn how to respect themselves and other people.

The show is a good reality show compared to other reality shows just because it kind of sets good examples. It also shows them being punished for acting out, unlike other shows where that behavior is glorified.

Hope you all have a great summer! :)

Newspapers (blog 15)

Hey everyone!
There has been some form of media that has really made me very angry lately! It's the Newspaper!! As you all know, recently Sara Gullickson was in a horrible accident, she is not only my teammate, but a roommate, and a best friend. When coverage of her accident was shown in the newspaper, The Valley City Times Record, it was a shocking surprise as to what picture was shown on the front page. There was a large picture of her lying on the ground, with the paramedics around her trying to revive her. In my opinion it was very unnecessary.

Although, what the newspaper did was inappropriate, it is still a good source of information. Being that I am five hours away from Valley, I didn't have all my facts straight on the accident, and heard a lot of rumors. It was good to go online and get the information that I needed to see what happened, minus the picture. They did do a good job with the story though.

In my opinion, newspapers need to always remember and focus on their ethics. They need to think about what is appropriate to put in the paper, whether it is names for victims of an accident, and in this case, pictures. I don't think that anyone wants to ever see someone they know and care about in a newspaper before they get the story.

Newspapers though are a very good source of information. They may be biased to a certain extent, but I think it enriches the story, because you sort of get someone else's point of view and can make a judgment and an opinion off of theirs.

News papers are now on the decline in sales though, some of them have even had to shut down, I'm sure you all remember that video we watched in the class that one time. I think we just have better more practical ways that are more suited to fit our lifestyles than newspapers. I think newspapers have had their day.

What do you think?

Magazine Advertising (blog 14)

Hey everyone,
So since we are blogging about something other than our medium we picked, I'm going to talk a little bit about advertising in magazines. My personal favorite magazine is Cosmopolitan, and there are tons of advertisements in there, and lot's of pictures of beautiful people. It almost lowers your self-esteem sometimes.

Many of the advertisements shown in the magazine are using beautiful women to sell their products. They use sex appeal to sell things. It is hard to look at some of the things sometimes and not wish that you looked like one of those women. I think that some of the advertisements are a negative thing. Some younger girls look at these and decide that they aren't good enough and may decided that they aren't "pretty" enough. Many girls even develop eating disorders. The eating disorder link gives a few stories of young girls who died from eating disorders, due to media exposure. There is hope though for some of the girls who have problems with themselves. There is a advertising deal going on with the Dove company, Called the "Campaign for Real Beauty".
It uses real women to advertise, women unlike the one's in the magazine all made-over.

In my opinion the world could use more advertising like that. It shows women that there is more to beauty than external beauty. And, that not all beauty in magazines is what everyone is after. I believe that Fruit of the Loom also uses real women in their advertising, no matter what their weight, or looks. They aren't all stick thin like the ones in the magazine. I think that kind of advertising is a good start to getting people to feel good about themselves and live with what they have.
So What is your opinion on media advertising? How does it make you feel?

(Blog 13) Advertising in the Media

Hey Everyone,
Well since we can write about anything this week, I have decided to write about advertising and the effects it can have on people. There are so many different kinds of advertising, whether it is advertisements for products, places, or organizations, they can be positive or negative. They use advertising in almost everything including movies. And, some things they show really aren't advertising, but can portray the message that something is cool, but really is wrong.

In movies there are different things advertised like products, and if a character in a movie is using that product it may influence you, subconsciously, to want to try that product. These products range anything from clothes, to food. But, some things that are portrayed through movies are not positive. Some show things like drug use, and they may kind of show that it is okay because the people rarely ever get punished in the movies.

In media sources like public television, there are a lot of good things going on in the media. There is one organization that has those "Above the Influence" commercials. They are showing kids who are making bad decisions because their friends influence them, but then show the kids turning their lives around and showing them "Living Above the Influence" of their friends. That's just one of the good advertisements. And I think it could help kids make a good decision about not doing drugs.

But, on the other side there are commercials that show drinking and other bad behaviors. There are alcohol commercials that show people having a good time drinking and make it seem like everything is ok with alcohol. They show sex appeal to sell their product also.

So I think that the media for the most part is not always a good thing and it shows a lot of negative things like bad behavior and other needless things that you don't need like junk food and stupid info-mercial products.

Steriod Usage in the MLB

Hey everyone,
Well since it is almost baseball season for the MLB, and I'm a crazy Minnesota Twins fan, it's gotten me thinking a bit more about baseball lately. So I figured I would write about something baseball related, it is not really a positive aspect of the game, but in secrecy has unfortunately become a part of the game. I am talking about steroid usage. We tend to hear more and more about the use of the performance enhancing drugs as the years go on.

I have found an article back from November of 2003. In this article it says "Steroid use in baseball is no longer a rumor. It's a fact." So to me it seems that steroid use was sort of unheard of. They had heard rumors of big league players using steroids but no one believed it. So in the 2003 season they gave a drug test to all the players, 1,200 players were tested and 84 players tested positive. This was the MLB's first "slap in the face" that players were using illegal performance enhancing drugs. Cheating. The fine for it now is a 15 day unpaid suspension or a $10,000 fine. It doesn't seem like enough of a punishment to me. $10,000 isn't that big of a deal for an MLB player, and a 15 day unpaid suspension isn't really going to hurt them financially!

It really isn't enough of a punishment because look at all the little kids that look up to them. There are not only influencing the kids into thinking that steriods are alright, but they may be letting the kids down. Kids do not want to see their role models do wrong. Just look at the role models that are out there now who have done steroids. Three major ones are Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa. Among these players there are more, I have found a list of a handful of players who have used steriods.

In my opinion, the players should be suspended and fined but for more than the punishment they get now. And, I really don't think that they should tell the public who is doing steriods, just no make it so public. Kids and others could look at that and maybe think it's alright, because they never really hear about the negative things that happen to the players who are doing the drugs. All that really gets shown in the media is that they were using and then they show the player, maybe at a press conference, apoligizing. That isn't enough!!

Final 4 (blog 11)

Hello everyone,
Those of you who are avid sports followers would know that March Madness is almost to an end and the NCAA basketball tournament is down to it's final four. The final four teams left standing are North Carolina, Villanova, Connecticut, and Michigan State.

For those of you who are not familiar with the tournament it is a widely televised event, widely advertised, and many people watch from their homes and if they are lucky even go to the games. In my opinion, March Madness is a fun and positive thing toward the public. Before the tournament even starts you get to pick your favorites and make a tournament bracket and then watch the games and bet on them with your friends and family. The whole hype of the tournament promotes a healthy, fun competition with your peers.

The tournament not only gives you and your friends and family something to do but is also helping others by large events put on by the NCAA, which are also publicized, and promote healthy community activity. One such event is the YES Clinic Hydrated by Vitaminwater revive. The program gives kids an opportunity to work with college coaches and get help with their game, learn life skills, and sportsmanship. It means a lot to kids to be able to work with and get instruction from their role models. Another event is The Road to The Final Four 5K walk. Which is an event that works with the United Way, and helps out elementary students by giving them things to help with learning to read. One other event is Middle School Madness, which shows kids the opportunities in life they can get through sports. It teaches them to learn from positive examples set by the student athletes participating in the tournament. And, that they can do anything if they do well in school and sports could provide that extra boost for them to excell in life.

So in my opinion, it seems to me that the NCAA is working with the country to make it a better place even if what they are doing isn't too much, but it is providing activities that are promoting positive advertising, possibly helping promote a better public image for college sports. These events really get behind what the NCAA stands for and not just the negative stuff like fights and things they show on televison. I think the tournament is good for the country.

Coverage of Women's Sports on TV (blog 10)

Hey everyone,
This past week I was playing in a softball tournament in Pensacola, Florida. The field that we played at was amazing, but when I looked over at the baseball field next to us, it was even better. Nice score board, landscaping, and the bleachers were amazing. There was also a game going on there, they had people taking pictures, and probably a few reporters to go along with the photographers. And, as I looked around our field, there was not one reporter to be seen.

Coverage of women's sports is not as common as men's and I think it's a little bit unfair. When women do get coverage, it's usually commenting on their appearance. On a site I found, it states that males attract 90% of sports news, and when female athletes are shown it tends to sexualize them, by commenting on appearance. Maria Sharapova is very seldomly reported on without someone commenting on her appearance.

Another thing that tends to bother me is that women's sports aren't hardly shown on the big time sports channels like ESPN. On three different networks, men got 91% of air time while women got 6%, and gender neutral topics got the other 2%. I think it's not fair because there are women who watch sports and want to hear about women's athletics, not just men's. People need to realize that things are changing and men aren't the dominant of the two sexes anymore, they are more equal now. Women can do most things men can, maybe not at the same physical level, but they can do anything a man can do. I think men fail to recognize women in sports because they are still stuck in that mindset that women are not meant to be playing sports and that no one wants to watch women play.

There have been many studies about this topic and every single one shows that men are the ones who get all the coverage. Yet all these studies fail to make any changes in people's opinions.

Should the athlete's lives be made public?

Hey everyone,
So I watch ESPN on occasion, and when I watch it, I am watching it to get the sports news, and not get into the lives of the players. I'm sick of seeing who cheated on who with who's wife, and who got divorced and so on... I personally don't think that it is okay to publicize their lives, and they do some ridiculous things that should not be made public. And, it may give off the image that it is okay to do some of the things they do because they always get away with it!

There are many noticeable scandals that have been shown on television. One of the most public was the Kobe Bryant rape allegations. As soon he had admitted to committing adultery several times, it immediately became public and was shown right away on Sports Center, and other entertainment shows. He immediately claimed not guilty but did admit to cheating before. Press Conference and did he end up innocent? Of course!

Another incident made public is A-Rod and the Madonna scandal. Who really cares about it on a sports network!? My belief is that men watch Sports Center to watch sports not listen to relationship drama.

I think that when people see things like this, they decided that it is fine if they do it. These celebrities/athletes get away with everything all the time. And, it just goes to show you that they get away with things at their sporting event and in their personal lives, and it just gives off the image that they can get away with what these people do. But, in reality, these people just have money to get out of their problems.

Sports Illustrated (Blog 7)

Hello everyone,
I know my main focus is on emphasis of sports on television, but I was thinking that a good topic to talk about this week is sports in media in general, and I thought of magazines, Sports Illustrated in fact. This magazine is among the top selling magazines for men, and sports lovers in general. It covers nearly every aspect of the sports world, including all of the scandals that happen in collegiate and professional sports.

In this magazine, you can see things that may not be positive to the public. As I was looking for a topic about sports, I came across an image of the magazine and the image to the top right is what I found. The infamous swimsuit addition. They use women's bodies to sell magazines, while also incorporating sports. They have used some women athletes, like Serena Williams, Danica Patrick, Jenny Finch, Venus Williams, Anna Kournikova, and several others. I see this as bad, exploiting women's bodies, but it seems a little better when they are actually using female athletes to model. But, I disagree with them using women who have no assosication with sports. This has caused some controversy.

So in a way I see it as sports are showing a negative image, by advertising their news in magazines, with tactics such as the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. In my opinion it gives sports bad publicity.

Racism in Sports (Blog 6)

Hello everyone,
I have decided that this week's blog will be about racism shown in sports, through pro-teams to high schools. I'm sure most of you watch pro-sports, you may not necessarily follow them, but I'm sure you are familiar with some of their popular mascots shown on television, on merchandise, and in games. There are several big name teams that use Native American reference as their mascots such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Braves, and the Cleveland Indians. All of these teams use some sort of Native American reference, but when they are being used, are they being used with respect? Most of these team portray the Indian as having a big cheesy smile, and abnormally red skin. At times this can been seen as a racist move. (Image to the right)

A few years ago, there was a baseball playoff game against New York and Cleveland, the New York Post found it appropriate at the time to headline the paper as "Take the Tribe and Scalp Em". This, in my opinion shows very little respect to Natives, and should have not been a public opinion. That is a racial slur, because in past times, scalpings did occur, but it's not like it happens anymore! To Natives, being a chief is the highest position you can obtain, and is a very respected position in a Native community. (more info) These teams are not showing the mascot with respect. Like I said earlier, they are showing them with huge noses, very red skin, and a huge buck-toothed smile. I myself come from a family with a native background, my grandfather is 100% Ojibwa, and my mother is half, and I know that Indians don't look like this. This portrayal is embarrasing to Natives. They are creating an image for the public, and the image is not positive. The image the public gets from the media is showing the indians as an unattractive race of people. (Image To Left)

They are stereotyping indians, as an uncivilized race of people. And, they basically are making fun of their cultures, and beliefs. There are some mascots dancing how they think indians dance, but they don't actually understand the meanings of their dances, and why they do them. (more info)

Now in high schools and colleges, groups are fighting to remove Native Americans as their mascots, because they don't want to disrespect the Native Americans. Indians are a race too, not just a race to be made fun of and turned into a ridiculous caricature for people's enjoyment.

It's ESPN's Rivalry Week!!! (week 5 blog)

Hello Everyone,
All of you sports fans, basketball fans in particular, would know that this week on ESPN is rivalry week! Some of the best college teams, with the biggest, most epic rivalries are shown on ESPN all week. It's a good time to sit down with your friends and make bets on the games and cheer on your favorite team right from the dorm.

The biggest game so far, in my opinion, was the North Carolina/Duke game. Which North Carolina, unfortunately ended up winning. Bummer. (See image to upper left) Both teams are successful and only several miles apart, causing one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball today. Both teams are equally as cocky, and arrogant. There are chants heard coming from the Duke fans "Go to hell Carolina, go to hell". One former player, Joseph Forte has been quoted as saying "They hate us, just like we hate them." (To See full article click here)

This game like many others is made public on ESPN, and ESPN bases their rivalry week off this big game. The game, is exciting and fun to watch, because it is such a great rivalry. But, in contrast, it could almost be a negative thing to see on television. Kids once again, are watching this game and look up to these college athletes/students. While I agree that games like these promote competition, rivalries, and that little bit of extra drive, could it also be negative? Young kids see these college students in the stands yelling obscenities, being obnoxious, and not treating their opponents with respect. Many kids will see this and see that it is accepted to be rude and obscene at games. When it really is not. Yes, I'm a college athlete and, I, just like every other college student get obnoxious, and rude at times, but it's not really the right behavior to display in public where there can be kids around. But, is that going to stop athletes from being the way they are? Probably not.

All in all rivalry week is a good display of unity of schools at the college level, a great rivalry, and one great experience if you get to go to one of the games. It's kind of like Valley City State Vs. Jamestown! haha epic! But, sometimes we take it a little overboard with our comments, although funny, they are influencing a younger crowd, and to show that on television, it could be harmful to youths attitudes in their own games.

Also other teams involved in rivalry week are:

• Duke vs. North Carolina
• West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh
• Missouri vs. Kansas
• Syracuse vs. Connecticut
• Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State
• Villanova vs. Saint Joseph's
• Kentucky vs. Florida

(click for more information)

Athlete's behaving badly in public eye

Hello all,
This week I have decided to write about the imperfections of athletes, and what is shown on television. And, as we all know, professional athletes are far from perfect, as recently proven by Michael Phelps. It always seems the pro's make headlines for the bad behavior and not the good that they do. Michael Phelps is not the only athlete to get in trouble, and be in the public eye for it, nor will he be the last. Phelps was caught by the form of picture proof, smoking marijuana, through a bong. He was stripped of his sponsorship through Kellogg's. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/lat-crazy_1_kent9tnc20090206151528,0,5354365.photo
Image to the right: http://www.starmagazine.com/media/MichaelPhelps_bong_230.jpg I think it's nice to finally see an athlete get punished for doing wrong. How many kids that look up to Phelps look at this situation now and see he got in trouble? They may look at this and see one of their idols got in trouble for something and will see he was severely penalized and decide that doing something of this nature is wrong. Where as if the situation was no penalization, they may see it as acceptable and go on and do it anyways, because their role model is doing it.

The same situation goes for steroid usage that is thrown into the public eye. Look at Barry Bonds, he was an idol to many young boys. Kids look at him and other athletes alike, watch them on tv and see how it makes them perform. They see it makes you play better, and there is a penalty for it but it's not so severe. They get suspended for a while, pay their fines, and then get back on with their lives. Kids see this and decide its an okay idea, and they see it as making them play better. http://media.www.thetriangle.org/media/storage/paper689/news/2005/01/07/SciTech/Athlete.Steroid.Use.Detracts.From.Professional.Sports-830954.shtml Athletes need to see that they are a huge part of the media,they are always on the TV, magazines, and in newspapers. Anything they do is publicized. I believe that if they do things like this more should be done to punish them. They are influencing a whole new generation of athletes. I don't think we need any of the new upcoming athlete's to be running around acting like this.

Super Bowl!

Hello everyone,
I'm sure you all know what day it is, Super Bowl Sunday! Today two teams are going to go head to head in the biggest, most televised, most advertised, football game of the year! http://www.touthouse.com/image/super-bowl-2009.gif(image to right). Today the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers, will go head to head, and only one team will be able to call themselves the champion for the year.

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events in sports all year. Super Bowl has come a long way since it began in 1967. http://www.super-bowl-history.us/superbowl-history.html Advertising on television has become a huge asset to the Super Bowl every year. On average about $2.5 Million dollars are spent on buying a 30 second spot for advertising a product! http://www.super-bowl-history.us/superbowl-history.html In my opinion this is a ridiculous amount of money to be spent on one advertisement, but yet it is a smart idea for companies to get their advertisements out on Super Bowl Sunday. A survey was taken last year before the Super Bowl and there was a total of 68% of American adults expected to be watching the game, 90 million viewers! Of that 68% there were a total of 19% of viewers watching just to see the commercials, and 38% were watching to see both the game and the commercials. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/580185/most_people_watched_the_super_bowl.html So as you can see, it is a good idea to advertise when a total of 57% of viewers were watching the game to see the advertisements. There are probably more people watching and then decide to buy those products. The advertisements are also entertaining and fun to watch.

Another huge part of the Super Bowl is the half-time show. The show gets bigger and better every year, often including big stars of that year. I also believe that many people also tune into the game just to watch the half-time show as well, to see their favorite stars sing. In my opinion the best half time show was the one Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake appeared in, in 2004. It was one of the most controversial appearances of the year, probably because there was some nudity, and it was live on television! This could also be one of the reasons kids and older people as well are less sensitive to nudity, profanity and other things because of how the media exposes everything! This wardrobe malfunction is just another example of what is exposed to the world by media. Whether it is appropriate or not.

Sports violence shown on T.V.

There is a lot of violence shown on television, by some of our biggest role models, professional athletes, who have some of the poorest displays of sportsmanship, and get into some of the most widely promoted violence on television. Could this cause children who look up to these professional athletes to act violently in their own sporting events?

The image to the right, is a picture of the Detroit Piston's and the Indiana Pacers brawl back in November 2004.
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/3953/brawl.jpg
These two teams made national headlines when the pacer's Ron Artest was hit with a cup of beer charged the stands, with numerous other Pacer's, who then began attacking numbers of the fan's. Many of the people involved where treated with minor injuries. Only, one week later, several other sporting brawls happened. A brawl between Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, arose and was found difficult to control by the police officers. Then, a pitcher, Frank Francisco threw a chair into the stands and broke a woman's nose, after being hassled by the fans.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/nov2004/bask-n23.shtml

In my opinion, this shows children and other athletes that violence is a proper way to deal with their problems, and emotions during sporting events. It may even influence spectators to be violent due to the possibility of publicity. People may just be tempted to get on the T.V. The only thing that happens to these athletes when they fight, is they lose a little bit of money, they have to pay a fine or two, they get suspended for a few games, and then have to apologize. A very small price to pay, when they are influencing generations of kids and athletes. To watch the video of the Piston/Pacer's brawl here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZmfeU9rSDs
How many kids are going to get into fights because "well, they do it on t.v."? By watching things on television and seeing it in the media, it eventually becomes socially acceptable.

History of Sports on Television

Hello everyone. My name is Ashley Mayry. I have decided to blog about sports on television, due to the fact that I play softball on a daily basis, and that I am constantly watching it on television. In American society, sports play a huge role in most's lives. I myself began playing sports (tee-ball) when I was five! Within pro-sports, there are millions of dollars spent on advertising, maketing, etc...., there are scandals, and alot of violence. One question that arises from this is, "Does sports media have an effect on society?" In my opinion it does. Kids see those athletes on television, and decide that's who they want to be, and then at times even try to be like their favorite athlete. And these athletes we see on television are not always the best role models.

So too start off my blogging, I am going to give a brief history of sports coverage in the mass media. The first actual televised sporting event was a college baseball game between Princeton and Columbia Universities in the year 1939 (Baran 1). Then, in 1944, the first network sports broadcast appeared by NBC's network, a boxing championship (Baran 1). To see more on the history of sports on television there is more on this link I have provided. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/sportsandte/sportsandte.htm

Today, television has a profound effect on the life of sports. I think without television, sports would have a hard time advertising. Television allows for people to stay in the comfort of their own homes, never having to leave to actually go to the event wherever it is being played. And, the advertising that television does allow, gets some of the people out there to the actual event. Just look at the major championships they put on television, the super bowl, world series, the NBA finals, and so many others. They pull in millions of dollars for advertisements, causing people to not only watch the event, but possibly buy that product. Sports have more effect on us than just the enjoyment of watching the big game, but possibly also on our decisions we make as consumers.