Esera Tuaolo, Michael Sam, and Ian Thorpe, in Sports Culture and Race PDF

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Esera Tuaolo, Michael Sam, Ian Thorpe in Sports Culture and Race...

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Question 1 Esera Tuaolo Tualo is a sports athlete who played in the American national football league. He is the author of "Alone in the trenches," where he describes his life experience while hiding his sexual identity. He kept his sexual identity even from his teammates. Until 2002, he announced to the public that he is gay (Tuaolo, 2007). He has since shared his experience with others and advocated for gay rights; for example, he has been able to work with the NFL to combat homophobia in sports. Additionally, he is a member of the gay and lesbian athletics foundation aimed at championing the gay rights of athletes. In a bid to stem his campaign for gay rights, Esera Tualo also testified at the State Legislature Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in opposition to an anti-gay marriage bill. Tualo describes his experience as a gay person while playing in NFL as a secretive one. He always lived in fear of his secret being exposed. According to Tuaolo, 2007 exposing his sexual affiliation could have led to tainted relations with other players and even being kicked out of the team as he states, "No more Super Bowls, no more Sundays playing ball. No more paychecks, no more financial security. No more locker-room banter, no more camaraderie with the guys. I would be banished from the NFL fraternity.” The homophobia threatened the very dream he lived for. However, Tualo has since combated all the negatives associated with the person he is. And he even fights for the rights of the others under similar circumstances. Michael Sam Sam is a former professional football player with the national football league. He is the first NFL player to come out as a gay individual openly. It is until he joined the University of Missouri that he describes having fully confirmed he was gay. Just like the other gay individuals,

he kept his relationship a secret. He constantly lived a lie until he openly admitted that he was gay during the ESPN interview in 2014. Sam says he decided to defend others who go through similar experiences against homophobia (Mazzie, 2014). Since Michael Sam opened up about being gay, he has interacted and helped those who are depressed due to homophobia. He even continued to play football even after this before ending his career shortly after. He had also won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2014. Michael has become an inspiration to many who admire his courage as he can even kiss his boyfriend on national television against all the negative criticism (Mazzie, 2014). By overcoming adversity and owning to his truth, Sam has since devoted his life to sharing his life experience and becoming an inspiration to others around the world. Ian Thorpe Ian Thorpe, who is a former Olympic champion from Australia, has since championed mental health awareness of athletes. Having been one of the most successful Australian athletes, Ian Thorpe admits having suffered mental depression as a teenager. He continuously covered his secret as a gay athlete and even admitted being asked about his sexuality early further delayed his coming out (Harris & Rothfield, 2015). Having come out openly as a gay in 2014, he felt a warm embrace from the people. In this regard, Thorpe has devoted his life to helping kids who undergo bullying and defend gay rights. He had initially denied being gay for fear of tainting his integrity. His coming out has also inspired many who suffer from depression for fear of being victimized by being gay. Thorpe has now been applauded by many who see him as a symbol of hope and encouragement.

Question 2 Some sociologists have described the race as superficial differences that the society considers significant. The race has been a big influence both traditionally and currently in the sports fraternity. Race and sports have been in a complex relationship since the 19th century (Coakley & Pike, 2001). However, there have been continued outcry demanding for an end to the vice of racism in sports. This has seen many measures and interventions by different sports bodies to do away with the culture of racism. Different sports have been seen to embrace the concept of breaking racial barriers and involve different cultures. According to Coakley & Pike, 2001, race and racial ideologies have gone a long way in changing the world's sports culture, including; increased racism-awareness campaigns, sports legislative changes such as allinclusive and diverse management systems, and motivating fans and players to engage more actively against racism. In 1869, when the NFL began, it was purely a sport for the whites. The black minorities were not allowed to play in the NFL (Brown, 2014). However, with more calls to end racial discrimination, the blacks were reintegrated into the sport in 1946. To justify their call up, they made a massive and immediate impact that led to continued absorption of black players into NFL (Brown, 2014). It has since been a diverse game, with several black players winning various accolades and major trophies. The death of George Floyd recently witnessed a similar instance of racial influence on sport. Many players have been witnessed kneeling before and after games to represent their resentment on racial killings. In England, for instance, players have been seen wearing t-shirts printed black lives matter instead of their names. The sports fraternity has since developed a culture to show solidarity with the champions of anti-racism.

With increased incidences of racism, sports federations have taken steps to curb this culture. Italian soccer federation has gone ahead to install super listening devices. This is after the incident where Mario Balotelli was racially discriminated during a soccer match in 2019. This is one of the measures and cultures that have been seen to be creeping into sports due to race and racial sentiments. The onset of the world coincides with the uprise against racial discrimination. Since its conception in 1930, the World Cup has adopted a culture of hosting the coveted tournament in different countries and continents (Swart & Bob, 2012). This is seen as a way of bringing together the world and people of different racial backgrounds. This has been a significant milestone towards ending racial discrimination. The first world cup was played in Uruguay, which is largely Latin (Swart & Bob, 2012). In 2010, the world cup was played in Africa, which is considered a racial minority. Similarly, the world cup was hosted by Russia in 2018. Race and racial ideologies have since infiltrated and influenced where one of the most prestigious sports events is held. Another major influence as to how racial ideologies have influenced the sports culture is in the Olympics. Before the Olympics games are held, the Olympics has adopted a similar trend of bringing different diverse nations together by alternating the host country from continent to continent. So far, the Olympics have been held in Greece, China, and Brazil, among other countries. Many changes have been seen in the culture of sports. Some of these changes can be attributed to race and racial ideologies. The key foundation of these racial ideologies has been around ending racial discrimination. Some of the measures taken by different sports fraternities to end racial sentiments include hosting various sports events in different countries to break

racial barriers, installing ultra-listening devices in stadia, and creating all-inclusive management boards, and educating fans and players on inclusive coexistence.

References Brown, D. (2014). Race, colonization, and the NFL draft: A Fanonian analysis of the interviewing of Black NFL prospects. Race in American sports: Essays, 254-266. Coakley, J., & Pike, E. (2001). Sports in society. Harris, A., & Rothfield, P. (2015). Former world champion swimmer Ian Thorpe admits he’s gay in Parkinson interview tonight’, The Mercury. Mazzie, L. A. (2014). Michael Sam and the NFL locker room: How masculinities theory explains the way we view gay athletes. Marq. Sports L. Rev., 25, 129. Swart, K., & Bob, U. (2012). Mega sport event legacies and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. African Journal for Physical Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 18(Supplement 2), 1-11. Tuaolo, E. (2007). Alone in the trenches: My life as a gay man in the NFL. Sourcebooks, Inc.....