London Calling: The Globalization of the NFL

We all know that the NFL would like to, at some point in the future, go global and have teams overseas. There are many reasons as to why the NFL would like expand internationally but I think the main purpose and the motive behind it is to bring additional revenue to the league.

Already, there are games that take place during the season that are held in London and some teams have a game there for the next several years. When discussing the possibility of a team overseas London is usually the city that is mentioned because of the fact that Wembley stadium is already there and seems to be suitable for NFL games and it is also available during the NFL season. Another reason London has been chosen as the expansion site is because it is a major city and easily accessible to the people of Europe.  However, there are some concerns that are holding the expansion back.

For one, according to the article, the league is not sure that Europeans would be willing to travel to London multiple times a year to attend games and fill up the stadium.  In addition to that, there must be a large enough fan base. If people are not attending the games the expansion would not be successful.  Another concern is the time that it would take away teams to travel to London and the toll that would take on the players and their performances during the game. Along with these things, I think the popularity of soccer overseas especially in Europe would have an affect on how successful an NFL team would be there.  It would be very hard for a nation deeply rooted in English football to convert or become a fan for an American football team. I find this quite interesting and feel as though this is just America being America trying to impose what we like and our values on others, with the main goal being to make more money.  I think this is the dark side of the expansion ideas.  It's not like the people of London are such big American football fans that they want a team, it's just the NFL and the people in charge trying to make as much money as they can.  The actual game of football and the love for the game is absent here. It's taking away from the game itself. I also think the NFL does not want to lose its popularity to soccer.

Sociogenisis of Soccer

There are many debates as to when soccer first originated.  According to fifa.com, the Han Dynasty played a game that seems very similar to soccer called Tsu Chu, that involved kicking a leather ball filled with feathers and hair through a goal of some sort.  Although there are numerous accounts of past cultures who played games that required kicking a ball, The Football Association, was formed in 1863 in England and became the sports first official governing body that set down the ground rules for soccer. At this time, soccer was mainly played by central and southern European immigrants.  People in the United States were discouraged from playing soccer because it "...was believed to undermine loyalty to the United states by perpetuating potentially dangerous identifiable links with foreign cultures" (Coakley, 73).  This is why soccer is not as popular in the United States even today.  Since then, football, or soccer has come a long way. Some of the same rules, such as the offside rule were thought of in 1863 with the creation of the Football Association but has since changed. Other rules like goal kicks were not introduced until 1869 and corner kicks were not part of the game until 1872.  Six years after that in 1878, was the first time a ref used a whistle during a match. Uniforms have stayed somewhat the same for certain football clubs. For example the Argentina mens team from 1930 pictured below.

And the Argentina men's team today.

We can see the similarities in the stripes and overall design of the jersey has remained the same throughout the years.  One of the most significant events of soccer history was idea of the World Cup in the 1920's. This brought the best soccer clubs from all over together to compete for the right to be called World Champions. Although this has helped the sport grow tremendously, soccer is still not a very important sport in American society as it is overseas.

References

http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/the-game/origins.html

Jay Coakley; Sports in Society, Issues and Controversies

Sport in the Ancient World

According to Coakley, "The games played by early Greeks were grounded in mythology and religious beliefs" (59).  Sports usually took place at the same time festivals took place that involved prayer, sacrifices, and religious services, music, and dancing. There were spectators at the time but sport was not intended directly for spectacle. Women were not allowed to participate in any ways.  As we learned from the video, at the very first Olympic games the only event was the sprint. Although overtime, more events were added such as the triple jumps, discuss and javelin throw, and even the pentathlon.  Only wealthy and respected men could participate in these games because they had the necessary resources for training and the spare time to participate. Greeks placed a high value on the bodies of young men and the sports of the time was an attempt to display the "perfect" human body and the body of the gods. That is also why they participated naked.  Winning was all that mattered in these times.  It brought political and economic prestige to the victor, and in some cases even freedom as some slaves were allowed, most times forced, to participate. 

Sports in Ancient Rome were a bit different.  "Roman leaders used physical contests and games to train soldiers and provide mass entertainment spectacles" (63). The games were taken from the Greeks but were aimed towards training good soldiers and warriors. As Coakley states, "...the contest and games during the first century AD increasingly took the form of circuses and gladiatorial combat".  One on one fights until the death occured and criminals were basically fed to wild animals.  "These spectacles achieved two purposes for Roman rulers: They entertained an idle populace and disposed of socially undesirable peoples..." In addition to those "games" or entertainment of the rich, many Roman's and even women played common ball games, and honored their gods through showing talent in foot racing, wrestling, and certain ball games. There is not much information about the athletes of this time as winning and records were not kept for sports. 

Sport, Society, & Me

Ever since I was little I have been playing sports. I think my very first sport was tee ball but it didn't last long. I'm not surprised because today I personally could never picture myself playing baseball, just too slow for me.  Anyways, I also tried out soccer but that wasn't really for me either.  The three that stuck with me the longest were basketball, football, and track.  Sports were a big part of my life for a very long time. Now that I do not compete or participate competitively in sports, I think my connection to sport and its meaning to me has changed.  Sports aren't really that important to me anymore, not that I've lost interest in sports, I was just always about the playing and participating aspect so it's not as fun for me anymore. At least watching sports isn't.  I'd say the role sports plays in my life is that it is now a hobby of mine. I don't play much football anymore but I spend a lot of time playing pick-up games in the rec, it's where I go to take my mind off things. I think sport has both positive and negative roles in US society. A positive would be that it creates a since of community.  As Eitzen states, "For fans identifying with a team or sports hero bonds them with others who share their allegiance; they belong and they have an identity" (4).  While this is true, Eitzen also points out that there is  a "dark side" to sports and that fans and society reinforce because of the value society places on sports and athletes.  According to Eitzen, "American sport embodies American values-striving for excellence, winning, individualism and team competition, and materialism" (4).  I think sports might be a little bit too important.  I know that athletes put themselves through so much and work so hard to get where they are in sports but some take sports too seriously.  Just look at this article for instance.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10129112/three-people-stabbed-sports-authority-stadium-parking-lot-broncos-chargers-game

Athletes are very highly valued in society.  They are role models to millions of young children, around the world, who play sports.  I think this is easy to see when their faces are on billboards, TV commercials, magazine covers, and almost anywhere you look.  Some, not all, are respected for what they do to give back to their communities or what they have done for the team they play for.  Some may be disrespected for their actions on and off the field. For example, Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks. His post game antics in their win over the 49ers have gotten a lot of people upset and I'm sure many have lost respect for him. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkTq__jd4I4

The Sport Ethic

According to Hughes and Coakley the sport ethic is, "The criteria for defining what it means to be a real athlete."  It is the value system that athletes unquestionably commit to and accept in order to become "real athletes".  There are believed to be four dimensions of the sport ethic-value system. 

The first aspect of the sport ethic is being willing to make sacrifices for the game or sport being played.  Athletes must put their sport first and before anything else.  They are expected to give up their other interests and be totally committed the sport they play. As Coakley states, "Athletes are dedicated to the game above all other things" (163).  The second is that athletes should always be looking to better their best and better everyone elses best as well. As Hughes and Coakley said, "come closer to perfection".  Winning is what matters and to set yourself apart from others you must win.  The third aspect of the sport ethic is that risks and pain must be accepted, even welcomed at times.  A "real athlete" does not let pain or fear get in the way of their goals.  This shows dedication and courage.  And lastly, athletes should never accept defeat. Athletes believe anything is possible and will do whatever it takes to get the task at hand done.

Athletes conform to these beliefs because they are praised for it by coaches, peers, parents, and others.  In addition to that, they realize that in order for them to reach the highest level and their highest potential this is something they must do. 

Being a three sport athlete in high school I think I experienced all four dimensions of the sport ethic.  There were plenty of times I had practice on weekends or over holiday breaks while my classmates were going on vacation or doing other activities like snowboarding or skiing that I could not do. So I definitely had to make some sacrifices for sports in the past.

References:

Hughes, Robert; Coakley, Jay. Positive Deviance Among Athletes: The Implications of Overconformity to the Sport Ethic. Sociology of Sport Journal. 1991

 Coakley, Jay. Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies, Tenth Edition. New York City: McGrawHill, 2009. Print.