Miami's Big Three Possibly No More?

Could it be? Could Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh be leaving the Miami Heat? After James recently announcing his free agency, today Wade and Bosh opted out of their contracts too. All three players were found having lunch together at Soho Beach House in Miami just three days before Wade and Bosh announced their free agency. They were thought to be discussing their future plans together.There is a lot of speculation going around, the most popular being that the Big Three aren't going anywhere. By all three opting out of their contracts, the Heat now have $55 million open for fresh contracts this year. All three star players would be looking at a pay cut, but the new talent would help add high quality players in hopes for another run at the NBA championship. If this act of altruism for the sake of the team is true, then all three players are showing to their fellow teammates and fans that the love of the team is greater than the love of money, and that they'll do anything to win another championship. How can you not like the message they may be sending?  

Just for argument, what would happen to the Heat if their Big Three chose to leave? The Heat have been defined by these three star athletes for four years now, and have made it to the NBA Finals all four years as well. These players have brought more fans, viewers, and overall attention to the team since they signed on the dotted line. It would practically feel like a whole new team without them, and it actually could be. There is only one player from last season who still has a contract with the Heat; back-up point guard, Norris Cole. Time will tell what is in store for the Miami heat and the Big Three. Fans will hopefully find out within the next month.

In His Eyes

Many soccer fans were surprised when Germany born Jurgen Klinsmann was chosen to coach the U.S. soccer team. Many were surprised again when he cut star play Landon Donovan from the World Cup team. Then they were surprised a third time when Klinsmann  publicly said that the U.S. team realistically wouldn't win the World Cup. All three of these incidents have shocked the public and have put Klinsmann in the spotlight. He seems to be making good choices for the team during game time, but how can cutting the star player, and publicly saying the team can't realistically win be affecting the players?

By cutting Donovan, he has proven that no one on the team is positioned higher than another in his eyes. This is a message to everyone that you need to be well rounded, and perform at your best at all times. The name on the back of your jersey won't grant you special treatment. As a player, this could either be comforting or creating more stress. As a former star athlete for Germany, he must know the stress that a coach can inflict on his players, and might adjust his coaching techniques according to his experience.

When players are asked in interviews about their coach, and his coaching techniques, they seem to support him with confidence. It's unsure from the outside looking in exactly what his leadership style/behaviors is, but from Chelladurai and Saleh's (1978) multidimensional leadership theory, I would guess that he uses a  mixture of all five (Autocratic, democratic, social support, positive feedback, and training and instruction). Mixing the five has been shown to be very effective, as long as the autocratic style doesn't overpower the others. Time will tell if Klinsmann's leadership style will make a significant difference for the team. So far, it is looking good.

Parents Who Get It

I am a fourth generation high school cheerleader. Although I had fun most of the time, my dream was to be a high school wrestler. I was prohibited from even attempting this dream since my mom wouldn't sign the parent consent form for tryouts. Long story short, I got out of cheerleading when I left high school and went back to my first love, track and field. This scenario is all to familiar in youth sports, and the parental pressure can continue all the way in to the professional leagues, where parental support can also be found. One of the greatest golfers of all time, Tiger Woods and the relationship with his father Earl is a prime example of parental support. The late Earl Woods has been supporting Tiger's golfing career all the back when Tiger was very young. At just two years old, Earl brought him on the Mike Douglas Show to show off his swing. Tiger has always spoke highly of hid dad and the endless support and encouragement he received.

There are definitely other examples of professional athletes receiving parental support throughout their lives, and sometimes it can go too far and can put too much pressure on them as kids, just like my mom did to me. As youth sports are becoming more and more competitive, and arguably dangerous, some parents are reluctant to allow their kids to play sports at all. Recently, NFL quarterback Tom Brady's father has spoken out against allowing young boys to play football due to the risk on concussion and other injury. If he knew about possible long term ramifications of playing football back when Tom started playing football at age 14, he "Would be very hesitant to let him play."

These two child-parent relationships in regards to sports are great examples of how parents can support, encourage, and look out for the best interest of their kids. As people continue to idolize professional athletes, perhaps they will begin to idolize supportive sports relationships as well.

Fans Aren't the Only Ones with World Cup Fever!

After the Spurs won the NBA Championship, sports fandom has shifted its focus on the FIFA World Cup currently being held in Brazil. And why not? It only comes around once every four years! Team USA fans have been showing their support both physically at the games, and in their homes or local bars watching on TV. If you haven't been watching the World Cup, you at least know about it thanks to sponsor commercials. Companies such as McDonald's, Adidas, and Nike have been taking advantage of World Cup excitement, and capitalizing on patriotism of sport. It's not everyday you get to cheer for just one team representing your whole country. They all market differently, but one of my favorites is this McDonald's commercial.

After seeing commercial after commercial promoting the World Cup with images of people playing soccer in diverse settings, this commercial stands out by incorporating humor while creating a positive sentiment towards the tournament.

If you are watching the World Cup, you've been seeing non-stop advertising. I wasn't able to watch the USA vs Ghana match, but I asked everyone I know who has been watching if there is any advertisement/sponsorship on Team USA's jerseys. Ever person I asked said 'No:, even the most devout fans. I was surprised by their answers because I know that it's common in Major League Soccer to have advertisements on team jerseys but heard that it' different for the World Cup. I had to look this up for myself to be sure, and found that they were all wrong.

The question is, has advertisement in sports become such a norm that people forget (or don't recognize) that they are being advertised to? As you can see, there is a Nike symbol on the right side chest of the jersey. Arguably, it is placed over the heart. Whether the placement is intentional in that way, who knows?

McAllister (2010) found that in 2007, more than 80% of the college football championship had visual advertisement. I would guess that those statistics are comparable to the 2014 World Cup, and his 4th and 6th criticism of sponsorship are coming true. "Commercials and actual content are increasingly blurred," and "encroachment of advertising in to public arenas is legitimized." What does this mean for our future? Advertisement on helmets, jock straps, or even athletes being asked to tattoo sponsor's symbols on their body? One thing is clear, we will continue to be advertised to in new and more unique ways and it's simply inescapable as a devoted fan.

Academic Identity

When you introduce yourself to somebody, one of the first pieces of personal information you give them is your occupation. For me, I don’t have a career yet, so I introduce myself as a Grad student at SUU. Many people have had to use the “Student” occupation one time or another and professional athletes are no exception. Granted, they were able to add “College athlete” to their occupational identity, but the “Student” label shouldn’t be ignored.  

Sadly, it was ignored at the University of North Carolina. In 2011, 19 football players signed up for an African-Americans Studies class. There was little to no class that actually took place, and the students accepting grades they didn’t earn. After an investigation, it was found that between 2007-2011 there were 54 African-American Studies classes that were fraudulent.

This may be considered old news, but the University is in the headlines again. This time it’s not for a former football player taking advantage of fraudulent classes, but a former basketball player. Former UNC basketball player Rashad McCants unveiled earlier this month that at as a student, he rarely went to class, tutors wrote his papers, and he even ended up on the Dean’s List Spring of 2005, the same year the team won the national title. He said that he signed up for “Paper classes” where as long as you turned in one term paper by the end, you were given a grade. It’s hard to say how far this fraud is known up the university’s academic ladder, but McCants claims that his coach Roy Williams knew at the time, and even accuses Williams of making unethical suggestions to swap classes to improve his GPA for eligibility.  Williams denies all claims, but McCants holds firm on his allegations.

Assuming all of this news that just came out is true, it begs the question of whether or not college athletes appreciate their education, and include it in their identity. Sure their universities come in to play in the major leagues when they are drafted and introduced before the games, but aside from that, how much is their educational experience valued? I am no longer a college athlete (I used to run track), but being a student is a large part of my identity and has been for years now. When I hear about college athletes putting sports ahead of their education so much that they are willing to cheat to maintain athlete status, it really bothers me. I understand that they all have dreams of making it big, but the fact is the large majority of them wont. What they will have left is their education, and their education will automatically become a larger part of their identity simply by default from not getting drafted. Even if they are drafted, they won’t be a professional athlete forever, and their identity will inevitably change again. 

The Tweet Read Around the World

                                                                             

Don Jones

Professional athletes have been getting themselves in trouble via their Twitter account for years now.  Our greatest recent example is Dolphins player, Don Jones.  After hearing of openly gay NFL hopeful Michael Sam being drafted by the St. Louis Rams this last month and watching Sam’s televised kiss with his boyfriend, Jones tweeted remarks including “OMG,” and “Horrible.” Deeming his tweet inappropriate and unacceptable, coach Joe Philbin announced that Jones was to be fined, temporarily suspended from the offseason workouts, and participate in educational training. Jones has since deleted the controversial tweet, set his Twitter account to private, apologized to Michael Sam, completed his suspension and educational training, and has been reinstated to the Dolphins. This story has been a frenzy for any sports news journalist or enthusiast, regardless of what sociopolitical side you take on the controversy. It also sparked a national discussion on free speech. 

Michael Sam

Thanks to advances in social media, this controversy is possible. Even with social media rules and regulations athletes agree to obey, they are still causing trouble for themselves and their team.  I believe that we are only in the first stages of what social media will become. New apps and websites will continue to develop, and it will become harder to control what athletes are expressing to the public as social media becomes a bigger part of our daily lives. Journalism will also continue to change and adapt with technology. Fans will become more involved with both newscasters and athletes, and as they become "Friends" with these public figures on Facebook, the very definition of "friend" will change. This trend may be what made Jones' comments so impactful. We feel like our favorite athletes are at times an extension of our own family and moral codes, and as a pseudo family member, fans either fought to defend or denounce him.