Preference for Male Coaches

In class Thursday, we talked about the different variations of apologetic responses to the lesbian bogeywoman image. There were eight different variations; silence, denial, promotion of feminine heterosexual image, promotions of heterosexy image, search for heterosexual-only space, attacks on lesbians and acknowledgement and disassociation from lesbians. The variation that I mostly found interesting was the preference for male coaches. When asked do you think focusing on not hiring lesbian coaches is actually safer for the team or the team’s image, I really did not know how to answer the question. I think that it all depends on how good the team actually is. I know of head a coach personally that is gay, not lesbian and still gets a hundred percent support from family, friends and fans and have no problems with people downgrading him or his team, but his team is also very high ranked. I think it varies on the situation. I think that with him being a male he kind of has more leeway. I think that it would different if it were a lesbian being the head coach of a women’s team, because your players are women, so that may cause some problems. I do believe that men have more experience playing sports, just because a lot of the sports started out with just men and not women, for example sports like volleyball. Plus, you don’t see many women that are head coaches of football teams or wrestling teams, because women just don’t play those types of sports, so therefore men do have that advantage of being more experienced.  I know for me, I never had a female coach for track and field. I don’t know how that would go for me personally, but I know most of my teammates do not like female coaches, just because of the different emotions that women go through, that it would cause too much trouble. Personally I prefer a male coach, just because that is what I have been use to, so why change.    

Alicia Jefferson 

Aaron Crouse - The Larger Than Life NFL QB?

This past week, we discussed what it means to have the “idea sports body”.  It was largely determined that not only the sport, but also the gender of the athlete along with the position an athlete plays should play a role in determining an acceptable body type.  Following the Washington Redskins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game on October 28 (a 27-12 PIT win) ESPN radio personality Colin Cowherd, who is also a co-host on the show SportsNation, criticized the body type of Redskin quarterback Robert Griffin III on his show, The Herd. Cowherd suggested that RGIII would not last long in the league given his slender, cut build and tendency to be a running quarterback.  He claimed that players such as Brett Favre, Jay Cutler, Ben Roethlisberger, and Matthew Stafford have “ideal” bodies for NFL quarterbacks as, “In the NFL, you WANT your QB to have a little pudding in the middle” (Cowherd, 29 October 2012, The Herd: ESPN).  Cowherd argued that these bigger bodied quarterbacks are able to absorb big hits to a better degree than a quarterback who would be said to have “all muscle”, giving the example that “2 years ago Peyton had a nice little “pouch” and it didn't hinder him (I don't if it protected him any though either)”.  He used the statistic that the average NFL QB has a body fat percentage of around 14-15 (with deviations of +/- 9%). While he explained that there is a difference between appearing a bit “pudgy” such as Roethlisberger and Stafford do and eating yourself out of the league like in the case of Jamarcus Russell, Cowherd still argued that carrying a little bit of extra weight is better than having the body of a lean, cut track star like in the case of RGIII, Michael Vick, or even Jake Locker (he used and explained this example to prove his point had nothing to do with race).  While there is no scientific reasoning or evidence that can back up this theory of the Pillsbury Doughboy NFL QB (as Roethlisberger, Stafford, Vick, and Locker have all battled injury), Colin Cowherd’s argument is an interesting take on the ideal sports body.  While NFL fans generally conjure up an image of teams having a strong, imposing, fit quarterback, maybe an extra trip to the buffet line or a late night snack once in a while for an NFL quarterback isn’t the worst thing in the world in the long run.

Comparing Muscle & Fitness Magazines

After reading a study about how advertisements are comprised in fitness magazines (White & Gillett, 1994), we got into groups and analyzed these findings with findings of our own. We looked at two different magazines, one for men and one for women. The men’s magazine we looked at was Flex from 2008. We found that 77% of the ads were for dietary supplements; 16% were for knowledge systems, 2% for body building equipment, and 5% for competitions. In the study they found that dietary supplements made up 52.7% of the ads, 19.7% for body building equipment, 12% for knowledge systems, 8.5% for clothes, 2.6% for cosmetics, and 5.3% for competitions (White & Gillett, 1994). Our findings were a little different than the articles. We both found that dietary supplements make up for most of the advertisements but we didn’t find very many ads for body building equipment, clothes, cosmetics, or competitions. This could be the case because of the differences in years the magazines were published. Since the article was written in 1994, it’s hard to compare findings from a magazine published 14 years later. Also we just analyzed the advertisements from one magazine which differed from the study, which analyzed ads from 12 different issues and took the average.

After analyzing the men’s magazine, we looked at the ads in a women’s magazine. The magazine we analyzed was Women’s Health from 2007. We found there to be far less ads than the men’s magazine. Flex had 155 ads, while Women’s Health had only 42 ads. In the end we found that dietary supplements made up 23% of the ads; 7% for knowledge systems, 28% for clothing, 23% for cosmetics, 2% for competition, and 17% were ads for water.  These numbers differed from the study but shouldn’t be surprising seeing how advertisements in women’s and men’s magazines should be different. Men are looking to add muscle, which helps by taking supplements, and women are looking to tone and look good.

The main themes of men's magazines are positioning the reader as inferior, promise of transformation, and hegemonic masculinity. We found examples of all of these in Flex. An ad for No-Explode had a muscular male sitting over large amounts of weight. This is an example of positioning the reader as inferior. Next, an ad for Whey Protein was an example of promise of transformation. Lastly, an ad for Jet Fuel with Jose Conseco in the advertisement is an example of hegemonic masculinity.

Two main themes we found from the women’s magazine were physical transformation and appearance. Physical transformation showed up in ads that were promoting low calorie foods, and eating healthy. There was an ad for lean cuisine which promoted lower calories. An ad for blueberries/fruit promoted eating healthy.  The 2^nd main theme was appearance. 51% of the ads were for appearance (clothing & cosmetics). Appearance showed up in ads that were promoting makeup, shoes, and clothing.  An ad for Puma shoes and Loreal skin lift are examples of appearance themed advertisements.

The findings from the women’s and men’s magazines were mostly different. The biggest percentage of the ads in Women’s Health was for clothing and cosmetics; while dietary supplements comprised most of the ads in Flex.  Men’s magazines promote masculinity which deals mostly with weights and gaining muscle. On the other hand, women’s magazines promote femininity which deals mostly with being fit and trim, and outer appearance such as clothing and makeup.  Men and women are different from one another when it comes to fitness and working out, and their magazines reflect this. 

Michael Berti

Matt Pitzulo

Mike Frank

Aaron Keyer

Joey Durant

Comparing Muscle and Fitness Magazines

When we examined the Men’s Fitness Magazine and compared our results to the White and Gillett article, our percentage for Men’s dietary came up to 65% in the Men’s magazine compared to the article’s 52.7%.  The percentage for men’s equipment came up to 11% in the men’s magazine compared to the article’s 19.7%. The percentage for men’s knowledge systems came up to 24% in the men’s magazine compared to the article’s 12%. When examining the Women’s Fitness magazine, women’s dietary came up to 37%. Women’s bodybuilding came up to 10%. Women’s knowledge systems came up to 12%. Women’s clothing came up to 56%. Women’s cosmetics came up to 25%. Women’s competitors came up to 11% and our group did not find any “other” categories. For the positioning reader as inferior theme, our example was the ad of Ronnie Coleman flexing and having an intimidating look on his face advertising for mass stack. For the promise of transformation theme, our example was the super pump ad, where the ad showed before and after pictures of men and in the after pictures the men were all fit and tan after taking the supplement. For the hegemonic masculinity theme, our example was Darren Charles posing in front of a few luxurious cars and a nice home. Charles was basically showing the “American Dream.” Two themes that our group found in the Women’s Fitness Magazine was the eating healthy nutrition theme, where the ad told women what they should eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The second theme that our group came up with was, the weightlifting body building theme, where the ad provided directions on how to lift weights. When comparing our findings between Men’s and Women’s Fitness magazines, the men’s fitness magazines contained pure masculinity and no ads of clothing, cosmetics, where as in the women’s fitness magazines there was.

Alicia Jefferson
Khiry Kelly
Dom Harris
Danielle Miller
Casey Daulbaugh

Crosby, the face of the NHL - Marc Horwitz

I am by no means a Crosby fan, but I am an avid hockey fan, and Crosby’s impact on the game is undeniable. Even if you aren’t a fan of Crosby or the Penguins, if you have even the slightest amount of interest in the sport of hockey you will know the face of Sidney Crosby.  For the reason, I feel as though Crosby could be considered the face of the NHL. As much as it hurts to admit it, being a Philadelphia Flyers fan, between his skill on the ice and his impact on the game off the ice, Crosby is without a doubt the most recognizable figure in the sport.  For this reason, I would say that Crosby is comparable to Gretzky, as discussed in the classroom, and perhaps you could connect his contribution to the sport in a similar way that Jordan changed basketball, the impact on the game both directly and indirectly is remarkable.

For one, there is Crosby’s on-ice contributions.  Even as of late, while battling back from a concussion and missing a considerable amount of time, Crosby has put up quite impressive numbers.  Before being restricted from the ice, Sid the Kid had scored 32 goals and recorded 66 points in just 41 games, a span which included a 25-game point streak.  Immediately following his injury, the Penguins were a dismal 21-11-9 after beginning the season 26-12-3.  This past season, with Crosby missing a substantial amount of time, the Penguins once again struggled to find a consistent source of offense.  The absence of Crosby from the Penguins lineup was not just significant to the team, but also to the NHL.  Sid still had a stronghold on the media headlines, with fans checking on the status of Crosby with each passing day awaiting his return.  Television numbers were also down, as previously slated matchups with the Penguins playing host to NBC’s weekend matinee were considerably less meaningful, especially when Crosby was absent for the matchups between the Penguins and Capitals, a rivalry that has been a water-cooler debate topic when deciding who is more superior between Crosby and Ovechkin.  Clearly, Crosby presence on the ice was missed by all, and his return was equally as significant, putting up a strong opening argument for his place as the face of the NHL.

Crosby would arguably be the face of the NHL with solely his on-ice contributions to the game, but what secures his place of NHL cover boy is his additional impact on the game off the playing surface.  His impact on the youth in both the United States and Canada is undeniable.  If you were to walk into any rink in North America, you would most likely see the number 87 plastered on the back of a jersey. Whether you are in the vicinity of the city of Pittsburgh or even in America, there are thousands of young hockey players who see Crosby as their role model.  He has a substantial influence on youth hockey nationwide, but his impact on the Pittsburgh-area youth registration has been phenomenal.  According to USA Hockey’s regional registration numbers on USAHockey.com, Western Pennsylvania’s hockey membership was at 8,665 in 2005, Crosby’s first season in the NHL.  Membership rose very slightly, by just 27 players in 2006.  With Crosby putting up big numbers and the Penguins finding more success, membership rose to 8,986 in 2007.  The following season, coming off an NHL finals appearance, membership continued to rise to 9,512.  Fast-forward to present-day, with Crosby’s impact on the game constantly increasing and his on-ice contributions leading the team to a Stanley Cup and Crosby finding even more success in his individual statistics, youth numbers have correlated.  To date, there are 12,311 youth players registered in Western Pennsylvania.  Aside from his impact on the youth involvement, Crosby has also been an influential figure for the NHL throughout the labor discussions and in research and development regarding concussion studies.  After suffering the concussion that led to a significant loss of playing time over the past two seasons, Crosby has been an advocate for increased concussion testing league-wide and more studies related to head contact and equipment.

Between his on-ice contributions and the impact he has had off the ice, it is undeniable that Crosby is the poster child of the National Hockey League.  As much as it hurts to say as a fan of the Penguins cross-state rival, Crosby is great for the game of hockey and his impact on the game has been very beneficial.  I am sure that as he continues to flourish in the league, youth numbers will certainly increase and he will be an even more significant advocate for player safety concerns. Crosby is without a doubt the face of the NHL.

Comparing Muscle and Fitness Magazine

As a group we compared the Men's Fitness Magazine, the percentage of ads compared to White and Gillett (1994) found in original study. We found the dietary supplement (83% to 52%) had a higher percentage compared than what was found in the original study. Body building equipment and knowledge system were below what White and Gillett found. While examining the Women's Fitness Magazine (Shape), we found in all three of the women's categories we were below what White and Gillett originally found in their study. For example, we found in our magazine predominately advertised dietary supplements just like the men's magazines did but did not go above the average found in the original study. We did not find it necessary to create other categories for the women's magazines because the ads we found fit the three main categories used to describe the men's fitness magazines (dietary supplement, body building, and knowledge systems).

We found in the Men's fitness magazine we examined three main themes; positioning reader as inferior, promise of transformation, and hegemonic masculinity. The first theme, positioning reader as inferior, we found on page 37, the advertisement is consider to be inferior because it shows a man lifting a cow over his head. This advertisement showed that if you use the product ProComplex then you will be able to be strong enough to pick up a cow. By showing the strength of the model used, they are displaying there strength in an unique manner. The next theme men's fitness magazine focused on was promise of transformation. Promise of transformation represents the before and after image after the use of a product. For example, on page 185, the ad shows a before and after image of the male models. Despite what may or may not be the truth of these images the advertisement shows the completely transforming after using the supplement. Finally, the last theme we found throughout the men's fitness magazine is hegemonic masculinity. Throughout the magazine, our group felt from the cover of the magazine to the very last page the majority of the magazine was hegemonic masculinity. We felt this way because constantly we as the audience was exposed to anything from big, bulky unrealistic muscles on the males to seeing sexual dominance ads with females,all were seen throughout the magazine.

The themes found in the women's magazine were different than what we found in the males. First like the men's fitness magazine, we saw a lot of transformation ads. We noticed compared to the men's ads there were more transformation advertisements used for dietary supplementary products and were bigger displays compared to men's. For example, on page 31-33, there were two pages completely covered of just transformation (before and after) pictures of females that used the dietary supplement. By using the transformation theme, the advertisers were able to show the effectiveness of the product on the actual body. This theme our group came up on our own was sexual appeal. We found sexual appeal was a predominately theme throughout our magazine. We saw ads from girls trying to seduce to guys with their body after using the dietary supplement. We saw on page 21, the advertiser used an attractive male and female to sell their product. We saw this from the way the models were dressed, their facial expression and body language to draw in the audience to the product.

Throughout both magazines we found similarities and differences based on the theme, advertisement and images used. In both magazines, we found transformation was used to show the effectiveness of the product on a male or female body. We saw differences in the images used in the transformation theme, in the men's fitness magazine, the after images were of men showing off there muscles, being stronger and bigger. In the women's magazine, in the after images presented the females were skinny and many of the images stated the amount of weight the women lost which we never saw in a men's ad. Overall throughout both magazines, the men's fitness magazines focused on becoming big, bulky, stronger compared to the females were focused on losing weight, being skinny but not too muscular.

-Chelsea, Paxin, Tyler Clifton

Gretzky and Canadian Identity Ryan Viselli

As a Canadian Wayne Gretzky has helped Canada bring their identity to the forefront of North America.  Gretzky was our superstar and national treasure that the whole world knew about.  I wasn’t born when Gretzky got traded from Edmonton to Los Angeles but when talking to my dad about the trade he told me that everyone was shocked.  Gretzky was going from the hockey-crazed city of Edmonton to the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, which wasn’t known for their hockey culture.  When growing up in Canada in our generation in the 90’s, every kids dream was to be the next Gretzky, just like most Americans grow up to be Michael Jordan or Derek Jeter.  Gretzky is a hero in Canada because he posses the qualities Canadians try to portray which is hard working, humble and modest people.  He wasn’t flashy but had the will, skill and passion that made him the greatest hockey player of all time.  When Gretzky was traded it felt like he was a traitor and became part of American culture.  It felt as Canadians we lost him and part of our identity because Canada is known for hockey their and best player is now playing in a city that is opposite to the culture of Canada.

     With Gretzky being traded to Los Angeles it helped build the game of hockey in North America.  It grew the popularity of the game in California and United States as teams expanded in California, Texas and Florida.  More kids wanted to play hockey growing up in places that weren’t familiar with the game.  It is more evident in todays’ game where a lot of players from the NHL and College ranks are coming from different parts of the United States.  As Canadians we believe this is good for the game because it brings the best competition for hockey.  With Gretzky becoming a part of American culture I don’t think as Canadians we lost our identity.  He is still Canada’s pride and joy and will always be because he made a name for Canadians and did it the Canadian way through class and using his fame to be a role model for kids.  Gretzky has paved the way for superstars across the NHL, letting new players inspire a generation of kids playing hockey.   Wayne Gretzky is more than just a hero to Canadians, he is a hero all over the world and I am proud that we can call him one of our own.