Sport in Society | Ira Sliver

Spring 2020
Sociology 220
Tuesday/Friday: 12:30pm – 2:20pm

Office: O’Connor 336
Office Hours: Mon/Wed 10:30 – 12:30 or by appointment
Phone: (508) 626-4864
E-mail: isilver@framingham.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

While most people have played sports, we often don’t consider the sociological factors that shape our experiences. This course explores the powerful influences sports have on players and fans alike. We will see how sports offers a context for understanding key aspects of our society, such as religion, education, race, gender, disability, and politics.

READING:

There is nothing you need to buy for the course – everything is posted below!

* Please bring assigned material to class. Either print it or bring a device to class so you can access it electronically.

READING RESPONSES:

As a way of encouraging you to think about assigned material and to facilitate rich discussions, you are to post on Blackboard in advance of most of our classes. Specific dates are indicated on the schedule below.

To be eligible for full credit, please post your reading response no later than 9am on the date we’ll be discussing the material you wrote about. That deadline will enable me to read your posts and draw upon your ideas in our discussions. I will give partial credit for reading responses posted between 9am and the start of class, but no credit for posts made once class begins.

Your write-up should have two parts:

A 2-3 paragraph critique of the reading – which differs from a summary. Whereas a summary highlights main points in the reading, a critique takes the discussion in a direction of your choosing. It explores themes or issues the reading raised for you. There are several ways you can frame your critique.
— A quote you found interesting and why.
— A quote you found confusing and why.
— An important topic left unexplored.
— Strengths/weaknesses of a study’s methodology.
— How a concept or idea applies to your own life.
Raise 2 or more questions for our class discussion. These should not be “yes/no” questions but instead “how” or “why” questions, since these generate more discussion.

ATTENDANCE:

I understand sometimes there are justifiable reasons for missing a class, but if you miss more than two it will affect your grade. If you have to be absent, please let me know. There is no need to give me a doctor’s note. It is your responsibility to catch up on material you missed.

GRADING AND EVALUATION:

Your final grade will be based on the following:

60% Reading responses
20% Final paper
20% Class attendance and participation

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Given the Sociology Department’s commitment to maintaining the highest academic standards, students should be aware of the University’s policies concerning academic honesty, which are stated in the undergraduate catalog: “Integrity is essential to academic life. Consequently, students who enroll at Framingham State University agree to maintain high standards of academic honesty and scholarly practice. They shall be responsible for familiarizing themselves with the published policies and procedures regarding academic honesty.” Infractions include plagiarism, cheating on exams and quizzes, unauthorized collaboration with other students, and submitting work in more than one course for academic credit without prior approval of the instructor. The FSU Catalog defines plagiarism as “claiming as one’s own work the published or unpublished literal or paraphrased work of another.” Penalties for academic dishonesty may include receiving a failing grade for the course, academic suspension, and dismissal from the University.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:

By taking this class, you agree to abide by Framingham State University’s policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity. The University is dedicated to providing educational, working, and living environments that value the diverse backgrounds of all people. The Massachusetts Civil Rights Act (“MCRA,” M.G.L. c. 12, §§ 11H, 11I, 11J) protects the rights of all residents of and visitors to Massachusetts to be free from bias-motivated threats, intimidation, and coercion that interfere with their civil rights. The MCRA protects the right to attend school, live peacefully, and enjoy other basic rights.

VICARIOUS WINNING:
THE WIDESPREAD APPEAL OF BEING A FAN

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21^st

Overview of the course

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24^th

READ: Larry Stone, “The Psychology of Being a Sports Fan.” Seattle Times, February 14, 2014.Download

Read: Michael Serazio, “Just How Much is Sports Fandom Like Religion?” The Atlantic, January 29, 2013. Download

Reading Response #1 Due

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28^th

Read: Michael A. Messner, Michele Dunbar, and Darnell Hunt, “The Televised Sports Manhood Formula.” Journal of Sport and Social Issues 2000 24(4): 380-394.Download

Read: Douglas Hartmann, “The Sanctity of Sunday Football: Why Men Love Sports.” Context 2003 2(4): 13-21.Download

Reading Response #2 Due

FRIDAY, JANUARY 31^st

Read: Richard Crepeau, “The Super Bowl at 50 or L.” International Journal of the History of Sport 2017 34(1): 1-16.Download

Reading Response #3 Due

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2^nd

Watch: The Super Bowl

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4^th

No reading!

Watch in class: “League of Denial” (113 minutes)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7^th

Read: John Affleck, “If Football is Deadly, Why Do We Still Watch?” The Conversation, February 5, 2016.Download

Read: Kathleen Bachynski, “Are Parents Morally Obligated to Forbid Their Kids from Playing Football?” The Conversation June 2, 2015.Download

FOSTERING SCHOOL SPIRIT?
EXPLORING LINKS BETWEEN ATHLETICS AND EDUCATION

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11^th

Read: Jay Coakley, “The Good Father: Parental Expectations and Youth Sports.” Leisure Studies 2006 25(2): 153–163.Download

Reading Response #4 Due

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14^th

Read: Mark Hyman, “Until it Hurts: America’s Obsession with Youth Sports and How it Harms Our Kids.” Sports Illustrated, April 7, 2009.Download

Read: Andrew McCutchen, “Left Out.” The Players’ Tribune, February 13, 2015.Download

Reading Response #5 Due

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18^th

Read: Krystal K. Beamon, “‘Used Goods:’ Former African American College Student-Athletes’ Perception of Exploitation By Division I Universities.” Journal of Negro Education 2008 77(4): 352-364. Download

Reading Response #6 Due

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21^st

Read: Kirsten Hextrum, “The Hidden Curriculum of College Athletic Recruitment.” Harvard Educational Review 2018 88(3): 355-77. Download

Reading Response #7 Due

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25^th

Read: Henry A. Giroux and Susan Searls Giroux, “Universities Gone Wild: Big Money, Big Sports, and Scandalous Abuse at Penn State.” Pp. 267-77 in The Ethics of Sport: Essential Readings. Edited by Arthur L. Caplan and Brendan Parent. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.Download

Reading Response #8 Due

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28^th

Read: Jasmine Harris, “In the Name of ‘Amateurism,’ College Athletes Make Money for Everyone Except Themselves, The Conversation, April 5, 2019.
Download

Read: Cody J. McDavis, “Paying Students to Play Would Ruin College Sports.” New York Times, February 25, 2019.Download

Reading Response #9 Due

DISABILITY, ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
AND THE QUEST TO BE THE BEST

TUESDAY, MARCH 3^rd

No reading!

Watch in class: “Murderball” (88 minutes)

FRIDAY, MARCH 6^th

Read: Greg Wolbring, “To Define Oneself as Less Able: A Prerequisite for a Paralympian?” The Conversation September 1, 2012.Download

Read: John Affleck, “Why Do the Paralympics Get So Little Media Attention in the United States.” The Conversation September 15, 2016.Download

Reading Response #10 Due

TUESDAY, MARCH 10^th

Read: Keith Storey, “The Case Against the Special Olympics.” Journal of Disability Policy Studies 2004 15: 35-42.Download

Reading Response #11 Due

FRIDAY, MARCH 13^th

Read: Denise A. Baker, “The ‘Second Place’ Problem: Assistive Technology in Sports and Reconstructing Normal.” Pp. 197-216 in The Ethics of Sport: Essential Readings. Edited by Arthur L. Caplan and Brendan Parent. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.Download

Reading Response #12 Due

***Spring Break***

TUESDAY, MARCH 24^th

No reading!

Watch in class: “Bigger Stronger Faster” (105 minutes)

FRIDAY, MARCH 27^th

Read: Melissa Tandiwe Myambo, “What’s Really Behind Our Obsession with ‘Clean’ Athletes?” The Conversation, July 27, 2016.Download

Reading Response #13 Due

TUESDAY, MARCH 31^st

Read: Ira Silver, “’Everybody’s Doing It:’ Getting Ahead by Cheating.” Chapter 7 in Seeing Social Problems: The Hidden Stories Behind Contemporary Issues. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2020.

FRIDAY, APRIL 3^rd

Read: Chris Wallace, “Competition Drives Our Sports, Our Arts, and Our Lives — It Doesn’t Need to be That Way.” Guernica, March 25, 2014. Download

PLAYING THE PART:
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GENDER IN SPORTS

TUESDAY, APRIL 7^th

Read: Eric Anderson, “’I Used to Think Women Were Weak”: Orthodox Masculinity, Gender Segregation, and Sport.” Sociological Forum 2008 23(2): 257-80.Download

Reading Response #14 Due

FRIDAY, APRIL 10^th

Read: Natalie Adams, Alison Schmitke, and Amy Franklin, “Tomboys, Dykes, and Girly Girls: Interrogating the Subjectivities of Adolescent Female Athletes.” Women’s Studies Quarterly 2005 33(1&2): 17-34.Download

Reading Response #15 Due

TUESDAY, APRIL 14^th

Read: Vikki Krane, Precilla Y.L. Choi, Shannon M. Baird, Christine M. Aimar, and Kerrie J. Kauer, “Living the Paradox: Female Athletes Negotiate Femininity and Masculinity.” Sex Roles 2004 50(5-6): 315-29.Download

Reading Response #16 Due