"Final Reflections"

Sports have always been of interest to me. I grew up around sports, so sports have always been apart of my life. But before this place I never thought about them critically. This class really showed me how sports are portrayed within our society. It helped learning about the globalization of sports to sports culture, to how women are portrayed in sports to how sex and gender play a role within sports, and lastly how disabilities are integrated in sports. Yes I believe learning about all these topics has helped change my perception of  US sports culture. It changed in a good way into thinking critically about how sports plays a role within our society. One topic that stood out to me the most was the discussion we had about the paralympics. I never knew anything about this until we discussed it in class. I thought it was so cool how there are Olympics for people with disabilities. I thought it was great that these people were given an opportunity to demonstrate their skills to the rest of the world. I believe I will be able to use the critical thinking skills I have developed in this class. I think it will allow me to think more in-depth about particular situations I am faced with. Yes I would recommend this class. I think this class helps individuals understand how sports are viewed within our society, which I think is important to learn.

Why the 'Mans Mans' Game is an insult to Men'

I think that being openly gay has become more accepted in societies than in years past. It has become accepting in society but it has not reached that level within sports. In some of the articles we read, it discussed how athletes had a difficult time building the courage to reveal their sexuality. More often than not it wasn't that teammates would not be accepting but it was the fans that were usually the ones that did not accept someone coming out. I do not think sports have become a safe place for LGBT athletes. The reason being is that it has not reached that level where I believe athletes will be fully accepted. I believe over time that as more athletes come out that they will be more accepting. I do not think there are any particular solutions. I think the main thing is to give it time in order become more socially acceptable. In recent news a NCAA division 1 basketball player from UMASS just came out and admitted to being openly gay. Which I think is a step that will lead to more players maybe not just within NCAA basketball but all college sports, which would be a significant step toward becoming more acceptable.