...in February, bridging the time before the NFL season would begin again. The XFL was positioned to be a league returning to the roots of football. Providing a “gutsee” return to the golden age of football before it became over regulated and restricted with rules. They promised altered game rules along with increased physical violence amongst players during game time. Ideas surrounding the league were merged after inception, promising cutting edge marketing and production values. Intending they wanted to “transform football broadcasting” by creating reality TV show elements. The fan was placed at the center of attention with the game essentially being created around them. Tickets were priced at $25 (notably less then NFL game tickets which would cost $236+ for a family to attend) allowing them to target lower income families. Additionally there would be sideline interviews, allowing audience members to broadcast their voice over loud speakers to the whole stadium. Cheerleader/announcer booths would be located in the stands to incorporate everyone and create a synergy between fans and viewers at home. Network partners allowed XFL to be broadcast over two days on cable along with internet coverage. UPN signed on to broadcast Sunday evening games. TNN became the exclusive cable provider for XFL Sunday afternoon games. NBC would air games Saturday nights prior to SNL (NBC reached 99% of American homes). MSNBC.com signed on to provide internet coverage of XFL. The WWF had...
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...One could make the argument that in many cases, America is a country of excess and unchecked consumption of entertainment. Our relationship with the National Football League displays this quite nicely. According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2014 the NFL generated 9.2 billion dollars in revenue, and over 40 percent of Americans consider football their favorite sport. Aided by its natural fit for television, especially because of the one game per week format, the NFL is a weekly ritual for many of us who, as Americans, were simply raised in a household that honored a similar tradition each Sunday of lazily flipping between games, consuming food, and using the superior athleticism of a select few to help us forget that tomorrow was Monday....
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...Protesting in America is one of the best things you can do when you don’t agree with something. It can be as little as protesting for or against puppy mills to as big as protesting against the president. NFL players such as Colin Kaepernick has decided to kneel during the national anthem to protest against police brutality. This form of protest is quite outstanding due to the fact it can reach millions of players watching the football game. This way of protesting is smart because it can start a conversation about the oppression against black people and people of color. Standing during the national anthem is a good way to show respect for your country, but when your country is divided and police brutality on people of color is rising, some football players found kneeling as a form of protest, which is a brilliant way to protest. It gives a voice to the people fighting oppression everyday and shows what is happening in America. Having a huge star like Colin Kaepernick protesting empowers people that doesn’t have that kind of fame to take a stand. “We wanted to draw attention to the fact that there’s things in this country that still need to change.” (Satchel Price, 20) People pushing for a change can only be the start and with a huge boost from the NFL players kneeling...
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... Old-fashioned | Bring football back to its roots. | Website affirmed | %100 competitive advantage, hardcore football fans haven’t seen before. | XFL would recruit players from the NFL’s golden age | To serve as coaches and league officials in support of this vision. | Cutting-edge marketing and production value | Transform football broadcasting by cresting “reality show arguably greatest sport on TV. | Unique focus on fans | Audience oriented league | Less expensive tickets | More fan support from families and lower-income individuals. | Cheerleader platforms and announcer booths would also be located directly in the stands. | Synergy between live audience and more added visuals for viewers at home could enjoy. | League’s freedom from the taunting of wealthy owners. | Owners will not disrupt the progress of the league because it is centrally controlled | 2. The XFL was positioned to be a league returning to the origin of football, providing a “gutsee” return to the golden age of football before it became over regulated and restricted with rules. They promised altered game rules along with increased physical violence amongst players during game time. Ideas surrounding the league were merged after inception, promising cutting edge marketing and production values. Intending they wanted to “transform football broadcasting” by creating reality TV show elements. The fans were placed at the center of attention with the game essentially being created...
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...media covering more incidents of domestic violence being committed by professional athletes. I am going to discuss whether or not domestic violence committed by professional athletes in the National Football League are being handled the way they should by the association they play for. The National Football League (NFL) has recently had two incidents of players committing domestic violence that has and continues to be discussed. The first incident involves former Baltimore Ravens Running Back, Ray Rice. Rice was recently cut by the Baltimore Ravens due to knocking out his then fiancée while riding the elevator. The second incident involves Minnesota Vikings Running Back, Adrian Peterson. Adrian Peterson was involved in hitting his 4 year-old son with a tree branch. Each of these acts of domestic violence resulted in both players being suspended. Adrian Peterson is still suspended indefinitely but Ray Rice has already been released from his team. On February 15, 2014, Ray Rice got into an altercation with his then fiancée which ultimately led to him knocking her out on an elevator. Four days later on the 19th of February, a video surfaced showing Rice dragging his fiancée out of an elevator and after that many events occurred which led to Ray Rice being suspended for two games in the season (Bien). This suspension was seen as too lenient by many people and caused an eruption throughout the media and...
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...time passed from the 1960’s to present date there has been so much controversy over why they continue with that crown. The Dallas Cowboys originated in Kansas, the team was known as the “Steers.” After a few weeks, however, the name was changed to “Rangers.” At the same time, a baseball team operated in Dallas under that name, but was supposed to fold before the 1960 football season. However,” when the baseball team decided to play one more season, Clint Murchison Jr. and Bedford Wynne, owners of the new NFL (National Football League) team, selected the name of Cowboys to avoid confusion. Most games in that time were being played in Florida where the Steelers and the Cowboys met for the Cotton Bowl. “(Chris Creamer's December 5, 2011Dallas Cowboys 1960’s to present.) Now that the Dallas Cowboys were created there would be no confusion and it would now distinguish who was who. The Cowboys have been in the NFL for many years, under different ownership to different management. One thing that many fans look at today when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys is the coaching changes since new ownership transpired. Jerry Jones bought the team back in 1989 for about 140 million dollars. One of the first things he did upon the purchase was to get rid of long time Head Coach Tom Landry. This left many fans upset and sad to see the way they let such a great coach go away. Take into fact that at this time Dallas has lost 15 games in one...
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...PRUDEN: Chick-fil-A controversy: A lot of clucking and no foul - Washington Times 09.08.12, 18:13 NEWS TRENDING: MITT ROMNEY TIGER WOODS OPINION CAMPAIGN 2012 CHINA NFL SPORTS BOOKS LIFE MEDIA BLOGS COMMUNITIES Search THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP EDITORS' PICKS: Egypt hits Sinai to crack down on terror IRS told employees to ignore potential fraud in program used by immigrants Voters vs. cash: Races could be turned by out-of-state money EDITORIAL: Obamacare’s free lunch It’s not over till it’s over for backers of Ron Paul RADIO SUBSCRIBE SOCIAL: HOME NEWS PRUDEN ON POLITICS CLASSIFIEDS E-EDITION PRUDEN: Chick-fil-A controversy: A lot of clucking and no foul COMMENTS (26) SHARE TWEET EMAIL PRINT MORE TEXT SIZE: + / - YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE U.S. gives military aid to nations with child soldiers By Wesley Pruden - The Washington Times Tuesday, August 7, 2012 ANALYSIS/OPINION: The great chicken-sandwich controversy has come and gone, leaving a moral lesson as consequential and lasting as the clucking in a henhouse. The clucking was media-made — loud, fierce and angry. And then it was gone. The result, such as it was, was not quite what the media had in mind. The good guys and the bad guys looked well-cast: doe-eyed innocents, eager to kiss, shout and fondle in pursuit of the love that shouts its name, against evil church folk determined to deprive gay brides of their rightful ration of peau de soie and gay husbands...
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...Football in America by Jeannie Ray SPM/210 - SOCIO-CULTURAL ELMNTS OF SPORT: PLAYING WELL W/OTHERS DR DION DALY August 6, 2011 Football In America American football has a long legacy in American History. It can be traced back centuries to early European cutures, influenced through the years by multiple people, changed the rules and has become a National phenomenon for Americans. American football is over 100 years old and still going strong. It has inspired songs, movies and motivated individuals to great heights in their careers and lives. American football originated with its earlier form of play that derived from a variation of the sport Rugby in 1892. There are mentions of Native Americans playing ball games but, modern American football originates in traditional ball games played at villages and schools in Europe dating many centuries before America was settled by Europeans. Reports of early settlers at Jamestown, Virginia playing games with inflated balls in the early 17th century have been noted in history also. American football is the result of several major divergences from its earlier form of rugby. The introduction of the line of scrimmage and down-and- distance are among the first major changes of the game Rugby to its conversion to American football by Walter Camp. Walter Camp is considered as the father of football. The changes that he incorporated into collegiate football became dominant in the United...
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...CONTROVERCIAL TELEVISION ADVERTISING Today’s advertising companies represent themselves and their product to society with the use of sex, drugs and alcohol potentially posing a thereat to innocent adolescent minds. All over the world people watch television for purposes of education, entertainment and to alleviate boredom. So as you can tell it’s a part of our daily lives. What’s to be done when during a break form your favorite TV show you see a commercial about a man who needs to use sexual enhancement drugs so that he has more confidence in himself or a women’s exposed breasts during half time at a foot ball game on national television. Controversial Television Advertising Everywhere we go today we see some type of advertising, it could be in the supermarket, on a billboard, on the side of a bus, in the TV, and even on the radio. Most of this advertising are targeting children and teenagers and currently most of this advertisement are very controversial. Every day, we are bombarded with images within popular culture- advertising, in the television and these images try to sell us something--whether it is clothes, cars, or happiness. Television and other media represent one of the most important and under recognized influences on children and adolescents' health and behavior in the today. Their impact should be eliciting serious concern, not just from parents and educators but from physicians, public health advocates, and politicians as well . Viewer Discretion Advised ...
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...The article I ended up picking and reading about was about a star National Football Player Aaron Hernandez and article was called Aaron Hernandez Trial: The Defense Rests. It is about of course Aaron Hernandez whom is 25 years old is charged with killing his friend Odin Lloyd who was dating the sister of Aaron’s fiancé. The man who died ended up being shot 5 times in a pit near Aaron Hernandez’s home North Attleboro. The Prosecutors ended up stating that Aaron Hernandez motive was about Mr Lloyd talking to people at some Boston Bar that were not of the liking of the Accused. The defense gave reasons like Hernandez had just signed 40 million extension, so he had no reason to be part of this murder. The accused are trying to also put some doubt by saying that the police has some sloppy investigations done. The legal experts have been saying of late that there is some doubt and what is helping the accused is that the murder weapon pistol has not been located along with no legit witnesses of the shooting coming forward. There is not much of a feel of which side is winning so this outcome could go either way. A doctor on the behalf of the defense, say that two other men were on some serious drugs like PCP and might have committed the crime since it is has been told that PCP can cause violent stages. Unfortunately Hernandez DNA was found on a shell casing in a rental car, but the defense state it came from gum. Shayanna Jenkins said she was told to give money to Earnest Wallace a...
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...not follow with celebration, but with speculation towards knowing if there would be a Super Bowl the following year let alone NFL season. The NFL players and owners are struggling to reach a collective bargaining agreement and failing to do so will result in a lockout for the 2011-2012 NFL season. A lockout basically means there will be no football for an entire season. To the general public it seems as if only the players would be affected with a lockout, but in fact a lockout would affect the many jobs of people in the NFL, the fans, and most importantly impair the country financially. The major question is how the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and the NFL will put aside their differences in order for a NFL season to take place throughout 2011 and 2012. The NFLPA and the NFL have very much at stake if they do not come to an agreement. Both sides are apparently not meeting enough and it is effecting the progress of reaching an agreement. According to USA Today, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell states, ‘“If there's a work stoppage of any kind, it hurts everybody’, Goodell said. ‘It hurts the clubs; it hurts players; it'll hurt the game; and, most importantly, it'll hurt our fans”’ (Leahy 04c). Roger Goodell undoubtedly believes an NFL lockout may be a detriment towards many individuals. Without conversation it will be impossible for the disputing sides to agree on an agreement. The two sides have not had a formal meeting since thanksgiving of 2010. The NFL general counsel...
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...Abstract This paper explores the movie “Any Given Sunday” and attempts to discuss the movie in detail by focusing on character examples of the personal functions of sport such as feelings of belongingness and social identification, the socially acceptable outlet for hostile and aggressive feelings, and the role sport plays as a cultural element to bring meaning to life. Additional attention will be given to aspects of extra-sport character behavior and a determination of whether or not such behaviors support sport stereotypes and/or deviant characteristics. Through internet research, library study, and the use of periodical articles found in the ProQuest databases, I intend to apply the functionalist model of society to show that the fictional football team “The Miami Sharks” highlighted in the movie supports stability and equilibrium in the community of Miami based on common interests and convictions. The world of professional sports, especially professional football, is a world that most will only see on the television or through movies. “Any Given Sunday,” by Oliver Stone, is one such movie. It highlights a portion of a season for the fictional team The Miami Sharks with the interpersonal struggles on and off the field experienced by the characters related to the team. This paper explores the movie “Any Given Sunday” and attempts to discuss the movie in detail by focusing on the socially acceptable outlet for hostile and aggressive feelings, masculinity and gender...
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...built and muscular (so much so that participants in the games at that time performed naked so the crowd could admire their appearance as much as their ability to run, jump, etc…) which is not very different from what we picture the ideal athlete as today. Webster’s dictionary defines athlete as “Any one trained to contend in exercises requiring great physical agility and strength; one who has great activity and strength; a champion” which is a very vague definition when you look at the variety of different types of athletes we have in the U.S. Does a thin, toned Olympic champion such as Michael Phelps really share similarities with an offensive lineman in the National Football League? Throughout this essay I will be commenting on the variation of athletes in modern society, the steroid controversy, and how the United States in particular has a skewed perception of what an athlete should be. A recent major example of one of the most popular sports figures going down the abyss of the steroid scandal, among other gossip, is New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Since A-Rod’s first season playing for Seattle he has been glorified as having the potential to be the greatest to ever play the game of baseball. He played precociously at such a young age in Seattle, hitting for power and average and playing the infield well. Rodriguez immediately became a public darling, drawing comparisons to all the greats in the game, and many anticipated him to break the all time home run...
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...ball has crossed the goal line, and it will send an instant alert to the referee allowing him to quickly determine the call. The International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) still remains unsure whether it would be appropriate to incorporate this technology around the world. In Joshua Robinson’s article, ” Goal-Line Help For Referees,” goal line technology is favored because it will assist the officiating crews by eliminating blown calls that affect the game negatively. He states technology will be a positive addition to the game as a whole. The game will be more advanced, keeping up to date with current modern times. On the other hand, the exclusion of this technology is viewed as positive idea. While Robinson beliefs that goal line technology is a great contribution to the game, other authors such as Daniel King and Peter Higgs believe the game needs to remain technology free. In King and Higg’s article “Soccer Says No to Goal-Line Technology,” Traditionalism and Human error are praised because that’s the way the game has been played for decades. He makes it clear that goal line technology is not really necessary because it brings more excitement, and it makes the game a lot more interesting by providing controversy. Even though both articles state that it would ultimately be beneficial for referees calling the game; Robinson’s article depicts the positive effects of goal line technology, while King and Higgs article contributes the ideal that urges the sport to remain...
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...enterprises) at the end of the bank's financial year.. It is referred to as money paid in addition to a stated compensation. In December 2009, the UK government announced in its pre-budget report its intention, during the first five months of 2010, to tax bonuses paid in this way by 50%. "Staff in banks who appropriate revenue in ludicrous bonuses which should otherwise go to strengthen the banks' capacity to resist write-offs, panics and bank-runs are in effect stealing from their customers, shareholders and the government," commented Will Hutton, executive vice-chair of The Work Foundation (formerly the Industrial Society), in The Guardian. The financial community "talk of the City being a national asset and a success story; of having to pay football star salaries of necessity; and that any insistence that the banks accept that they have obligations as well as rights to bailouts will be met by an exodus of talented staff to other countries," he said.[1] Billions of pounds in bonuses are expected to be lavished on bankers this year on top of hefty salaries, underlining a widening gap between rich and poor in a country where many identified rising inequality as one factor behind riots that ravaged the capital and other British cities last year. [2] British Prime Minister David Cameron has championed the rights of investors to veto executive pay, saying that it’s wrong for salaries of the top echelons “to keep going up and up and up”, even when they fail to deliver...
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