Final Reflections

Prior to taking this course, my perception of sport in the US was seemingly accepting in terms of its controversial aspects and debates such as PED’s, violence, sex and the media. I guess I never truly analyzed the idea of sport and it's role in America. My perception of sport in the US has drastically changed over the course of this semester. I now find myself dissecting every aspect of controversial articles and headlines that have to do with sport in the US. I always enjoyed sports growing up and still do today, but there is now a sense of underlying interest in sport that I never knew about. 

The topic of media and objectifying female athletes really interested me. I am currently in a class "Mass Media Analysis", where we discuss media and the role of women. I was surprised at the fact that we never touched base on female athletes in the media. As a female, I am not a feminist in any way. I am actually quite traditional, but I do not believe that for women athletes to be featured in the media they must appeal to the male eye. Another controversial aspect of the class that we talked about was the sport ethic and how athletes in the US are literally willing to sacrifice not only their time, but their bodies. Sport in America is easily one of the greatest forms of entertainment. The athletes participating in professional sport are not only players, but celebrities and role models. 

Looking forward, I know that I will continue to critically analyze sports. While I am an advertising major, I think that in finding the media and advertising aspect of sport in the US so fascinating, it will aid in furthering my understanding and research in the advertising industry. I am confident that I will take the skills and information that I learned in this class and use them as tools for success in my career in the future. I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone interested in sport, advertising or media.