{The Impact of Black Athletes Through History}

Jackie Robinson
First African American to play in MLB 

From reading the article, “Black Heroes in Sport: From Jack Johnson to Muhammad Ali”, by Joseph Dorinson, I have learned more than I ever knew about black athletes. These athletes mentioned in the article, all participated in non-team sports, where a black athlete faced less segregation at the time. It seemed very interesting to me how society would put so much pressure on these athletes to be not only professional in their sport but also leaders in the fight for their race. Their images were on display for all of America to see, so if they messed up it was not only against them but also against the whole Black American population.

Even though there was a lot of scrutiny and judgment against these athletes, these athletes were able to make tremendous strides for the black community.  They made it acceptable for black athletes to be household names, and it was one of the first times that African Americans were considered national heroes. Instances such as Jesse Owen’s four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany and Joe Louis’s defeat of German boxer Max Schmeling in their second heavy weight fight in 1938 allowed these athletes to make statements for racial equality by proving themselves as competitive athletes who deserve just as many rights as anyone else. 

{Unfair Pressure on Women in Sports}

Brandy Chastain
             Female Soccer Player

Many young women experience body image problems and women athletes are no exception. Sports are supposed to teach us self-confidence, but that is not always the case. It is crazy that female athletes are more prone to eating disorders than non-athletic women. A Brown University article, "Muscle vs. aesthetics," quotes a study, saying that between 16 and 72 percent of female athletes experience eating disorders, as compared to only five to ten percent in the general population. Why would these girls who so many people look up to not be satisfied with themselves? A big reason is this happens is because these women view their bodies in a very impersonal way that makes them view themselves as tools instead of people.  Some “weight monitoring sports” tend to be harmful for women because they make women focus on the fine details of their body shape.

Women on the other end of the sports spectrum often regret training to their full capacity to avoid becoming “more masculine.” Even though gaining muscle for their sport is very good, it makes these women athletes very uncomfortable with their bodies.

It is not fair that women are scrutinized so much more than men for their body size and shape. Men are applauded when they look more muscular and if they are in a sport that requires them to be more lean, it is not a big problem, but women are thought of differently if they go the distance in the weight room. Women should not feel that they have to hold back in their sport to be accepted in society. 

{Why we hate fat people...}

While many of the points in J. Eric Oliver’s article, “Why We Hate Fat People,” were very constructive and educational, I think he is undermining the importance of a healthy life style.  America has many superficial, stereotypical issues with judging people by their appearance, whether they are heavier, or wearing something that is considered strange, or if they are a certain race, and I think to single out one issue and not consider the fact that we do this in so many other forms is ignorant. People are going to think that different things are attractive as time goes on, that is true, but the health risks of obesity and living a sedentary lifestyle are not. 

I think it is very wrong that we exploit people in the media for having a certain image, but it is not limited to just body size. We think highly of people for their money, prestige, relationships, etc. The consumerist mindset of America is completely distorted and tainted, and we need to be able to make the ethically right decision as individuals to decide what we value in people.

While our perception of body size is a major problem in America, I think the main thing we need to address is the obesity epidemic. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in America, and the issue of obesity is resulting in so many economic problems to go along with it. I think America should shift its focus to solving this problem first and foremost. 

{Childhood Obesity}

There is no doubt that children are getting heavier and heavier as we are progressing in society, but the question is: how did this happen, and how will this effect the future of our society?  Life has changed a lot for an American over the past decade and these changes do not have the best effects on out health.  Baker Harrell is right in his article, “A Perfect Storm: An Analysis of the American Youth Obesity Epidemic,” that this problem of childhood obesity is not just an epidemic, but is really a cancer.

I worked at a summer camp this past summer and from seeing all the children who came through camp, it was apparent how different things have changed even since I was a kid.  Parents are only getting busier and busier, and often times the easiest thing to give their children to eat is also the unhealthiest option.  It isn’t the norm now for families to have sit down dinners together every night, and they normally end up eating in front of the television which causes them to not think about what they are eating and consume way more calories than they realize.

This is even a bigger problem for low-income families who may have to work two jobs and find time to get dinner for their family.  Fast food is the go to food for these families who don’t have time to make food for their children between their crazy work schedules and their family life. Buying fast food is cheaper than driving to the grocery store and buy all the ingredients to make a healthy meal.

School lunches for children are not helping the problem. Think of the items that you typically see in a cafeteria line: fries, mac and cheese, chicken tenders, burgers, pizza. The food we are feeding children is causing major harm to their health.

Time indoors and not engaging in physical activity is also fueling the obesity epidemic that is occurring. People are watching more and more television every year and children probably watch more than anyone. The tv is an instant babysitter for an overwhelmed parent, but this convenience is causing children to not get the physical activity they need.

Think of all the problems with health care in America. How much of that would be solved if Americans took preventative measures now to make sure they have better health in the long run? If the right preventative measures were taken, many health and economic problems could be solved in our society. Some major priority checks need to happen fast in America to save us from this health catastrophe that will inevitably occur if we don’t change our behaviors and reduce obesity. 

{Super Size Me!}

I will never see fast food in the same light after watching “Super Size Me.” I cannot believe that it is legal to allow restaurants to feed us food that could have that many damaging effects to our body. Morgan Spurlock ate only fast food from McDonald’s for 30 days for every meal, and by the end of his experiment, the changes in his blood chemistry and the stress on his organs approximated the liver failure seen in advanced alcoholics, his cholesterol had risen to dangerous levels, and he had gained 24.5 lbs.  It was also really scary that eating fast food can be addicting, just like using drugs.

We can blame the American people for not making good choices about their food, but the food industry itself has a lot to blame for this happening. The fast food industry spends three billion dollars a year promoting its products. Young children are attracted with special meals, toys, clowns, birthday parties, and playgrounds.  Why would these industries target innocent kids with such dangerous food? To make money. It really upsets me that the government does not step in and monitor the food industry better, and that the food we are giving children is left in the hands of greedy food industry moguls. The obesity epidemic should be at the top of our problems to solve here in America, but how can we solve it when the food industry is only trying to make millions at our expense. 

{The History of Sport}

Even though history is not always my favorite subject, I really enjoyed reading up on the history of sport and hearing the discussion in class. There are sp many parallels between American sports and our values here in the states. For example, I thought it was interesting that the most popular sports here in America are all team sports, (football, basketball, and baseball) which reflects the fact that we value unity and everyone working together for success. Our sports in America also reflect how we value hard physical work.  In many European countries individual sports, such as cycling and tennis, are much more popular than in America.  It is also interesting how in America our different sports reflect the themes of the different time periods in which they were created.

Sports are the center of our conversation, reasons for social gathering and a big part of our time, so it is no wonder that learning the culture and history of sport is so important to understanding society. From ancient times to college football, sport is an integral part of the world today whether people realize it or not, and the history and origin of sport reflect the values of culture.