Is It Gay

Sexual Orientation in the NFL

                In an article written by Mike Jaccarino, he brings to light the issue of sexual discrimination in the NFL. He states that the NFL and the NFLPA have officially banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.  The NFLPA states they realize they have huge social impact and need to set the example. The NFLPA states they need to be a symbol of good. Jaccarino states that it is unclear which side pushed for the clause banishing discrimination of sexual orientation. The article states however that several players including Scott Fujita of Cleveland Brendon Ayanbadejo do currently openly speak out about marriage equality.

                In my opinion I can see where this is a positive thing for both players and management. Do I see this as feasible, no.  I think players will still feel how they feel, and say what they are going to say. I feel that sexual orientation is very much oppressed, harassed, and hazed in the NFL. I feel this is something the NFL will always feel the wrath of because of the high testosterone nature of the sport.

                What are your thoughts? Will this work? Do you feel there are large amounts of sexual orientation discrimination in the NFL? Is this going to be enforceable by the league? What do you feel happens that we don’t know about?

Works Cited:

Jaccorino, M. (2011`, September 27). NFL formally prohibits discrimination against players based on sexual orientation. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/nfl-formally-prohibits-discrimination-players-based-sexual-orientation-article-1.955859

Women Refs

Women Calling The Shots, Women in the NFL Pipeline

In the article Women Calling the Shots, in the NFL Pipeline there is discussion of women referees soon to be in the NFL. The article focuses on one woman who has spent 5 years quietly reefing D1 NCAA football games. While the article stated she had to have some thick skin to with stand the teasing and odd looks, it didn’t exactly comment on what was actually endured. The head of officials for the NFL said there are several women in their refereeing pipeline. He also states that it will not be long before we see one of them refing games on Sundays. He said hiring women isn’t about starting revolutions or making quotas, but finding the best people. He said the process for finding a referee is very rigorous. He equates it to being as tough as finding that all star player. He is looking for the people with the most knowledge who will only make the game better. He said referees have to work High School games for 5-7 years at least and then College games for at least another 5 even before consideration. The NCAA does not keep official stats on women reefs but there are 4 know for sure by the writer of the article. The head of NFL officials said that women are becoming increasingly more involved in their referee program and if they can do the job the best they will be given their shot.

                In my opinion this is great for the game as a former player and enthusiast I just want to see referees that are truly passionate and know the game. If you are prepared and qualified who cares if you are a man or a woman. The quality of your work, and the knowledge you possess should be what makes you qualified or unqualified. I know I am personally tired of seeing people making horrible calls that an average fan can call at home. If men can make this many bad calls why can’t women. I think this is a big step in bringing women into the game.

What are your thoughts and feelings?

Works Cited:

McManus, J. (2011, August 27). In nfl, women are in the pipeline. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6854588/calling-shots-nfl-women-pipeline

The Slave Side of Sunday By: Dave Zirin

The Slave Side of Sunday By: Dave Zirin

            This article follows the topic of racism in Pro sports. It is and interview based on a book written by Anthony Prior called The Slave Side of Sunday. Prior spent six years in the NFL with 3 different teams. He contends that racism is imbedded in the culture of the NFL. He feels many current or recent players such as Warren Sapp also agree. He also claims that this racism goes widely unchallenged. Prior says that both he and Sapp will be highly criticized for their comments, and they will be told their statements are both absurd and offensive. He contends however that is really quite similar to being a slave. He says black athletes are like former farm slaves adored for their physical skills, but lack the ability to make simple choices in their daily life or in the industry they helped create and power. He claims the NFL is 65% black player based, but only 18 percent of coaches and only 6percent of general managers are black. He also contends that there are no black owners and there are no owners who are anything but white. He contends that on the field black players are treated as Gods but as soon as that uniform comes off they are treated less than human and degraded at every chance given. He contends that players are also bought, sold, traded, and drafted as need to suit the purpose of the owner just like former slaves. He states that he has seen racism used as a tool to bully African American players, especially those from the Southern United States. He also says players are often called things like boy, porch monkeys, or sambos. He says he has seen players benched because they date white women, or because a coach’s competence has been challenged. He said he has even been in film sessions where coaches have degraded players just to get a rise out of everyone else. Prior believes that players are so conditioned to this treatment and don’t want to jeopardize their place or role they just take it. Similar to the issue of pain we just previously discussed. Prior also contends players are not judged on their skill but on their manhood, another topic we previously covered. He feels that players are constantly abused, degraded, or even bullied but this treatment is merely over looked because of their race. Prior also questions the institution of religion he states that players also got benched for missing Bible study. He also criticizes the group Athletes In Action a prayer and Bible group, who lead prayer breakfast and services before games and throughout the year to NFL players. He claims that a majority of preachers in this group are white and teach right off the plantation. He said that the word is not taught for its intended purposes but to brain wash. He says prayer can even be used as a crutch or an obligation on some teams or even the lucky rabbit’s foot. He says he feels players are becoming less true to their faith but slaves to it n the NFL. Prior feels the only way these injustices to be stopped is if the players were to hold a strike right before the Super Bowl and force NFL owners to give back to the poor impoverished neighborhoods that produce many of the players in their league.

            This leads me to ask you do you feel the NFL is really this way or is this thing of the past? Do you think players still allow themselves to be degraded as Prior says? Do you feel Prior is being a little over critical of the buying, selling, and trading players. Likening it to a slave trade, or do you feel it is part of the business? Do you feel religion to players is what Prior claims it to be, or in fact just some of the backwards thinking taught by many religions? Do you feel athletes are more tested on their man hood than skill?  What are your general thoughts and feeling?

            In My opinion I feel as though Prior probably does make a lot of good points. I feel the situation may be even worse in college than in the NFL. I say this because there is a lot more freedom by coaches in college than there is in the NFL. I believe that this is also more rampant in college than in the pros due to the fact that there are so many more teams, and there are many different locales and coaches. I would like to think treatment like this was a thing of the past but may fear is it is still very real today. I will say that I feel he is wrong by saying man hood is tested more than skill. I believe once you get to the NFL level your skill is constantly tested. With the test of skill I think the test of man hood comes along as well. They are a package deal and both go hand in hand. I can also see Prior’s point about likening players to former slaves but I mean come on……. really? Many white players face the same treatment as black players when it comes to restrictions, buying, selling, and trading them. I mean isn’t it Big Ben who is not allowed anywhere near a motorcycle? I think that aspect of the game is just part of the business and owners and coaches move the pieces regardless of color as they see fit and the need to win increases. I will say though it does seem that many white players do get larger deals and get them done faster and more often than black players. I think that Prior is also right that many players do suffer a lot based on their skin and just take it. I feel however this treatment might not just come from coaches and owners but their own ranks as well. As far as religion goes I cannot comment because my own personal views are conflicted. All I will is that religion is a powerful tool and can be easily misused and abused.  

Citation:

 Rothenberg Paula, S. (2001). Race, class, and gender in the United States. (8 Ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

Steve Sabo Article entitled Pigskin, Patriarchy, and Pain

   I have decided to speak about different types of discrimination in Pro and College football. For my first posting I will be using the article Pigskin, Patriarchy, and Pain by Don Sabo.

      In this article Sabo is talking shortly after having spinal cord fusion surgery after suffering a great amount of pain from playing years of football since he was 8 years old. He seems to focus on the notion that football is a male dominated sport that teaches the only way to rise up through the male pecking order is through pain and patriarchy. He states that many young men can only see themselves as being adored if they can be revered like the great football legends. He also claims that they gain this adoration through both inflicting and receiving pain, and domination over others. He said when he first started playing he had to go through several initiation rites such as “ prickling his flesh with thorns until blood was draw, having hot peppers rubbed in his eyes, Getting punched in the gut again and again, and wearing a jock strap around his nose.” (Sabo 424). He also said there was a constant need to prove yourself through things like “calisthenics until his arms would hurt, hitting hard and fast knocking the other guys down, and getting hit in the groin and not crying all teaching him that pain and injury are part of the game.” (Sabo 424). He said he was taught to be an animal and coaches only noticed the animals. He also argues that he was taught over and over again to punish the other guys. He feels that all the pain he and others had suffered was their linkage to the outside world. In a sense he is saying that what they are being taught is what they are teaching everyone else maybe just simply in a different way. He also contends that he is constantly taught pain is good and that pleasure is bad. That the pain of good is not more important than the goals of the team, but he argues that even nonathletic tough men even go through some similar situations. Sabo feels that he drank the Kool- Aid and feel in love with a societal urge to feed male domination. He feels that football teaches two patriarchal aspects. 1 is to dominate women. The second is inter-male domination. Sabo feels that many men and even women are forced to feel that pain is inevitable and a good thing that it enhances one moral character. He argues that most men heed this advice and take part as part of a survival. He said that these young males also soak in visions and values that their coaches are offering. “These coaches issue orders to take pain, take out opponents, to take the game very serious, take women, and take your spot on the team.” (Sabo 425). He also states that males are felt to believe if they cannot take the pain, nothing of fame glory and reward will be coming their way. Sabo states that; “ becoming part of the team fosters conformity to male chauvinistic- values, self-abusing life styles, contribution to the social structure based on patriarchal power, invokes male competition for prestige and status, and that they ultimately learn to take to internalize all these things which form their gender identity and conception of women and society.”  

In my opinion, I feel that both boys and young men are being taught and forced to take the pain. That the good and the goals of the team are more important that the pain or the good of one. I believe that too many coaches are just interested in their record and keeping their job not kids’ lives and bodies. I also feel that football is a violent, aggressive, and dangerous sport that you need to let out a little of your inner animal or you will not survive even wind up getting hurt. I feel that for the most part he speaks the truth when he talks about wanting to punish the other guy, suck up the pain, put team above self, take it serious and not gain pleasure from it. I can say I feel it is true because I have experienced it in my own life. I do feel that we are hiring the wrong coaches we are hiring coaches who have their own goals and status at heart. I believe these coaches don’t even teach the principles, nature, and environment of the game but how to control it. They also do not teach what they can take from this game into life and how it can relate.  I also believe that football is both nature’s way of bringing out the inner animal in man. I feel this because it brings out the struggle for life, position, power and control. Just like an animal in the wild. I also believe this is what society teaches and wants to see, because of both all the participants and spectators. I liken this to the gladiators of ancient Rome. The gladiators filled the blood lust of Roman society. I do not feel however that football teaches men to dominate women, but can demean and show women in certain ways. I do feel that they do teach about a patriarchal struggle but only within the team setting not society as a whole. As far as women being able to hack it in this type of an environment, I would say I do not see it. I do not want to discount all women I say that some would be able to but the majority would not. I think the experiment has been tried several times and failed.  

How do you feel? Do you agree with or disagree with Sabo? Do you agree or Disagree with me? Is there anything that either of us maybe left out that is very evident and pertinent to what he is speaking about? Please feel free to leave questions comments concerns or observations!

Citation:

 Rothenberg Paula, S. (2001). Race, class, and gender in the United States. (8 Ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.