Effects of the Sports Media on the Youth
...obation? It tells them that the NCAA cares more about profit margins than it does about giving kids an education. People argue the only reason the NCAA doesn’t have playoffs for college football is because the sponsors pay the NCAA for their names to be associated with Bowl Games. Maurice Clarett, an All-American running back for Ohio State University, was suspended for the entire season after it was discovered that he’d gotten “help” on tests and test grades were illegally altered. Since he is no longer allowed to participate on college sports, he wished to enter the NFL (National Football League) draft. There was a one problem however, since he wasn’t two years out of high school, the NFL rules state one is not eligible to enter the draft until he is two years removed from high school. Clarett responded by suing the NFL, and the Supreme Court ruled he wasn’t allowed to enter the draft. When today’s youth have seen that if you cheat in college and get caught you can turn pro although they must wait a year, there is nothing to stop them from cheating when they get to college. Stanley Eitzen, a sports journalist, said “I believe that big-time college sports compromises the values of higher education”. If a sports journalist can admit this, the only reason NCAA won’t admit it is because they are only interested in money. As George Sage said, “what in the hell is a commercial entertainment enterprise doing on a university campus!” (204). The one thing the above have in common is they all involved something negative. Why would the sports media choose to focus on "bad" athletes than on "good" athletes like David Robinson and Cal Ripken Jr. compared to Kobe Bryant and Chris Webber ? David Robinson, a hall of fame center for the San Antonio Spurs, is not only perfect gentleman who contributes to his community, but is also a superb basketball player. The same could be said for Cal Ripken Jr., a hall of fame shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles. The sports media hardly recognized either of theses athlete’s accomplishments, on or off the court, until the year before they retired, and when they did, it was buried in the back of the sports section. The answer is actually quite simple if you ask yourselves why people buy newspapers or listen to the news. People don't want to hear about good news all the time or they would get bored of good news 24/7 and would no longer buy newspapers or listen to the news (Bevan). For this reason, the media will report on more negative than good or squash good in between the bad. Additionally, at the end of each season in any sport, the league hands out numerous awards. It is always a rarity when the media mentions who won the sportsmanship award, but always mention who won the MVP (Most Valuable Player) player award and Rookie of the Year award. If sports all-stars/superstars don't get much recognition for their sportsmanship, why would a kid want to focus so much on being a good sport? The major sports hype by the media has also negatively effected little leagues around the country, including the Little League World Series. Since pro athletes today are paid in the millions, parents really want their kids to succeed in a sport or sports. You hear constantly about parents getting into fights at little league games, including one incident where one parent beat another to death at a little league hockey game because he was rooting against his son. Another heavily publicized incident involved the Little League World Series, which is broadcast on ESPN across the United States and Japan. A couple of years ago, a youngster threw two no hitters in the Little League World Series, but his team failed to reach the finals. After the Little League World Series was over, it was discovered that the youngster who'd pitched the two no hitters was actually not eligible to play in the Little League World Series. This brings up two points involving the parents of this youngster. One, why would the parents of the youngster allow their child to compete in a competition he wasn't eligible for? The answer, the father "just wanted his son to be noticed as a superb athlete". Obviously, the father just wanted part of the millions of dollars his son would receive if his son ever made it at the pro level. The second point one has to bring up, why would another parent go looking for information like this after the Little League World Series was already over. Simply because the sports media has warped so many minds that little league sports today is all about winning, no longer about sportsmanship or letting the youngsters have any fun. Many youths are turned off by sports today, because of the vigorous competitive nature encouraged by the sports media. Perhaps the most devastating effect on today’s youth from the sports media and sports athletes/superstars is sports merchandise, which includes simpler things like a regular football or baseball. Many superstars sign million dollar endorsements with sports merchandising companies, such as Nike or Addidas. Products developed and sold by these sports companies, depending on the product, could run up to a couple hundred dollars. Most middle and lower class children can’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars on products, especially hundred dollar sneakers attached to marquee player’s names. Since their parents can’t afford to buy them these products, the children must find another way to afford or acquire sports merchandise. A truly responsible and honest person would get a job, like a paper route, to afford these expensive products. Unfortunately, many youths don’t go looking for a job, or find a job that’s not so honest or legal. A bad neighborhood combined with the sports media pushing these pricy products, cause many children to steal or start selling drugs so they can afford these expensive products. By selling drugs or stealing, many of today’s youth wind up in juvenile detention or worse, later in life in prison. The result of the sports media pushing these products ruins the lives of many of today’s youth. The sports media and sports in general, promote violence in today’s sports. People who watch sports on TV are constantly immersed in images that highlight and commentary that praises athletes who most successfully employ physical, aggressive play, as well as toughness. For example, on Sportscenter, a sports news show on ESPN, Brian Grant, a Power Forward for the Miami Heat, was praised by the commentators for his physical play. (Children Now, 5) These same commentators also criticize players for being “soft”, or not playing a physical game. Whether the sports media intends to or not, by glorifying violence, they are encouraging the youth of today to participate in violence and violent sports. All this came to head on March 11, 2004, when Todd Bertuzzi, a professional hockey player, threw a blindside punch at Steve Moore and drove his head into the ice, which broke Moore’s neck. Even though Bertuzzi was suspended for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, the incident shows how m...