Final Reflections

I had an interesting perception of US sport before I took this class. I really love football, a lot. And I still hold my favorite sport in high regard, but this class has made me think critically about the sport in ways that I had not before. I looked at US sport as a model for hard work, determination, physical excellence, and of course as a form of entertainment. I love watching sports, and I will continue to turn on Sports Center every morning before I go to class. But now I will be noticing how sports are portrayed on ESPN. Who is presenting new information, if the players are being represented in a specific way, the number of female athletes that are mentioned in top plays, and the discourse used to present sports and athletes. I will always love watching football, but this class will make me look a little deeper into how it is presented, as well as the social and cultural influences that have come to shape my perceptions of US sport.

I really liked learning about disabled bodies. I know a decent amount about the paralympics, but I was unaware of the different sports available for disabled athletes. Murderball was an incredibly informative film, and it made me realize that disabled can also mean "abled" as well. The men in the movie participated in wheelchair rugby with the same tenacity and passion as any other "able" bodied athlete. I enjoyed watching the games and the suspense that the film created.

I will start asking (at least to myself) more critical questions about the sports world. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of sports. Whether it is coaching, the obstacles faced by athletes, the structure of the institutions that control the sports we watch, or the media, I will be looking differently at the sports that I normally did not investigate too deeply before.

I am wanting to go into a career of environmental justice, seeking justice for people of color and poor groups of people and communities who bear disproportionate amounts of environmental toxins and waste. This class has shown how the intersection of race, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation all factor in to how certain groups of people are treated and the opportunities that they have. I want to challenge the institutions that oppress certain groups of people, and this class has shown me that not only is it possible and necessary to demand change, but that it is an incredibly difficult uphill battle.

I would definitely recommend this class to a friend. I found this class to be engaging, informative, and interesting. I did not expect to take so much from this class, and have my perspective on US sport be so drastically affected by this class. It is important for us to ask critical questions about sport, because it is such a valued pastime for Americans. Our understanding of sport needs to be evaluated critically, and this class has taught me to look deeper than the surface of the sports that I am watching.