Kines 341 Exam 1

What is Historical Sensibility?

keen appreciation of analyzing how society is presently and thinking with the past instead of modern standards

What are the 5 C’s of Historical Sensibility

1. Context- situating events within social, cultural, political, and economic

2. Contingency- the outcome of an event, could change

3. Change- transformed over time

4. Continuity- highlights what has persisted

5. Complex- acknowledges issues that rarely have a simple exploration

What was the Doubleday myth?

that Mayor Doubleday created American baseball, Spalding book was consistent with this theory, NOT TRUE

Mills commision

• gave them 3 years to prove it was an American-born sport

• motivation of the two claims: commercialism and patriotism

• Abner Groves only source of Doubleday myth too

Where does Football come from?

Medieval England- two different towns or split town, move the ball to the other side. Very uncivilized

Civilizing process during the Middle Ages- less aggression, more manners, rulebook, organized games

1800s became more civilized and organized rugby or soccer, ametuer college football

1950s introduction of T.V let companies to raise money to gain more support. Football allowed America to show ads.

What is Sportization?

process by which folk games become transferred into modern sport

How are sports Americanizing?

1. U.S “sport space” developed

2. Other sports “crowded out” by sports perceived as uniquely American

3. Sports add to the term “American Exceptionalism”

What is Nativism?

the ideology or policy that favors “native” inhabitants over immigrants

• anti-immigrant, anti-catholic, anti-radical

Where was the birthplace of college football?

Hard to say, but people generally agree on Rutger v.s Princeton

• it was more similar to soccer

• contingency through introduction of diff. rules helped shape American football

Who was the Father of College Football?

Walter Camp- Rutgers University

What helped shape the rising popularization of certain sports?

The T.V made in 1950s, to grow a bigger market, ads.

Football allows stoppage for ads.

Why is there violence in sport and what defines sports violence?

Since ancient rome and greece, violence has been prevalent in sport due to the lack of rules and regulations. People had little entertainment time.

Sports violence is sport behavior that causes physical, psychological, etc. harm

What is the history of sports violence?

In Ancient Greece; wrestling, boxing, pankration

• “heavy sports'" no weight categories, heavy contestants win

• few rules-nudity

• In the Olympics- Pankration (mma, UFC equivalent)

  • boxing bloody, few rules, wraps

• Colosseum- stadium in which violent sport was watched

How was the continuity of football derived from gladiator fights?

For example wearing attire, violent tackle, cheering

How was the change of football from gladiator games?

the rules, “sportization”, injuries should not be celebrated

What is the loose translation of Pankration

“All strength” or “all powerful”

What did the Roman poet Juvenal mean by “bread and circuses”?

During ancient greece, people would gather around to see gruesome gladiator fights and be given bread in the crowd. This was a distraction used by the government for the behind the scenes corruption

According to sociologist John Sugden, tough and violent sports took place “during a period when life expectancy was short and when a person could be maimed or even hanged for stealing a loaf of bread. The sports and pastimes which thrived in such an environment reflected the cruelty and brutality of the times.” Which of the 5 Cs applies to this statement?

Context, because if we think about the time period, the events that took place there, and the laws that were set, people would die almost everyday for the most juvenile of things.

The use of gloves is considered part of boxing’s “civilizing process”—but what’s the irony about the gloves? What about football helmets?

The irony is that when using gloves or a helmet someone is actually more likely to hit harder, use their head more. Causing more damage. Being knocked out actually has be proven to be less risky for the brain than repeatedly being punched. Helmets were used for protection but now people use their heads first.

Explain: The civilizing process did not remove spectators' attraction to danger and bodily risk. Instead, modern sports transformed violence into a more acceptable and controlled form of entertainment.

Instead regulation increased, rules and more equipment to protect participants. The invention of the television also increased viewership, companies could capitalize on stoppage time with ads.

What was the original term for CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy)?

It was first called “drunk punch”

How do the 5Cs explain why (most) Americans prefer one football over the other.

The context, of sport back then, where it shaped from, soccer and rugby rules.

The contingency, people started to create their own versions of the american version of soccer and rugby

The change, the rules, attire, and the feeling of “american exceptionalism”

The consistency, the consistency of violence in sport still persistent

The complexity, the complexity of american football is where does it come from, is it truly american

What was Penn State’s role in the history of NCAA boxing? Who was Charlie Mohr, and what contingent role did he play in NCAA boxing history?

Penn State held one of the first intercollegiate boxing match against UPenn

Charlie Mohr was a boxer at University of Wisconsin who died a couple days after his boxing match, resulting in NCAA stops boxing as a sport played

1. True or false: The UFC sponsored women’s fights from its 1993 beginning.

2. T/F: Women compete in the same weight classes as men. What do you think about this?

1. False, women did not start participating until way later adding in a bantamweight class

2. False, women have their own weight class that only goes up to 145 lbs, I don’t agree with women having a certain weight class restriction, because it only appeals for the audience’s sake. It is misogynistic

What is the attention economy, and why might it help us understand the rise of slap fighting?

Attention economy is a system that treats human attention as a scarce valuable commodity that can be captured, measured, and monetized.

It might help us understand why slap fighting is so popular, because since it is an easy sport to understand it is easy to stay engaged.

It has a high shock value, it’s pretty quick, social media friendly, commercial value

Be able to identify and explain the theories presented for trying to understand why people watch violent sports.

Catharsis theory: watching violence helps release tension of violence in viewers in themselves… UNTRUE actually the opposite happens

Exciting: intense emotional experiences that everyday life rarely provides

Moral Disengagement: people temporarily put their morals standards aside for the sole fact that this activity is voluntary

Cultivation: more it happens, the more it becomes normalized and desensitized

What does the term “Vale Tudo” mean?

“anything goes”

Why can't Brendan Sorsby play NCAA football?

Brendan Sorsby cannot play NCAA football due to sports betting in himself and his teammates, which is extremely prohibited in NCAA laws.

What is the Uncertainty of Outcome Hypothesis? Be able to explain it in your own words

The hypothesis states that people are more interested in outcomes that aren’t predictable

Define commodification and the commodification of uncertainty.

Commodification means taking something and being able to profit or get something out of it.

Commodification of uncertainty is would bring value to uncertainty, but allowing people to place bets for money and gaining a profit off of it

Put it all together: uncertainty of outcome; commodification; producers; consumers. How does that help explain why Brendan Sorsby can't play NCAA football?

Commodification of uncertainty has led to the legalization of sports betting, people then have been able to bet on college players and therefore Brendan Sorsby. He then took matters into his own hands and placed bets, which is illegal in the NCAA.

Explain how gambling was central to sportization.

Gambling allowed for sport to become even more civilized, to reduce the chance of uncertainty therefore making it more favorable to increase uncertainty, people gambling allowed for sportization to make sport more organized.

Ex: Adding weight classes, to better the fairness and increase uncertainty, doping racehorses to go along with gambling bets placed on jockeys

Where does the word "handicap" come from? Explain the relationship to gambling.

The word “handicap” comes from an English trading game. A “handicap” meant balancing the uneven conditions to increase uncertainty, therefore increasing betting chances.

In what sport do the terms “lightweight” & “heavyweight” originate? Explain the relationship to gambling.

The terms originated from horse racing “lightweight” meaning weaker horses carried only lighter weight than the “heavyweight” horses. So eventually they would add more weight to the “heavyweight” horses to increase the uncertainty.

In what sport was the first anti-doping regulation? Explain the relationship to gambling.

In horse racing became the first anti-doping regulation, since people were drugging horses for betting outcomes. It became illegal to dope a horse to make gambling even more uncertain and fair.

What was the first US sport to name a commissioner? Explain the relationship to gambling.

The first US sport to name a commissioner was the MLB. This was very necessary because 9 White Sox players were found charged with betting scandal by throwing out the game to the Cubs. They were NOT found guilty, but the commissioner said that sports betting is now illegal within players and banned them from playing again

What was the 1919 “Black Sox Scandal”? What happened to the 8 players involved?

They were charged with sports betting scandal, but not found guilty. Commissioner of MLB ruled that they can no longer play.

What’s the only basketball team to win both the NCAA Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Tournament in the same year? Explain the relationship to gambling

The City College of New York, they were directly tied to a gambling scandal. Gamblers paid players to “shave off points” for them to win.

Define: gendered surveillance, intersectionality, masculine exceptionalism, male preserve, frailty myth, vital energy theory, masculinization thesis, skirt theory, long residuals

Gender surveillance- monitoring athletes according to cultural norms, understandings and expectations

Intersectionality- multiple social identities and systems of power overlap to shape our experiences (ex: race, religion, sexual identity, gender, relational status, trauma, class, etc.)

Masculine Exceptionalism-men and women are inherently different, so sports are a man’s past time since it requires intense work

Male Preserve - opportunity and rewards belongs solely to men

Frailty Myth - that women are to fragile to do hard intensive labor of sport

Vital Energy Theory - women only have so much vital energy to expend on household duties, that spending their energy on sports would take that away

Masculinization Thesis- when women enter “male preserve” areas of sports will become “manly-looking” themselves

Skirt Theory- women should only play sport if they can wear a skirt to prevent women from entering very “male preserve” sports

Long Residuals- continuations of meanings over time and their impacts on today’s society

What are 4 anti-masculinization strategies used to control women in sports? Give an example for each.

1. Control of what women play: “skirt theory”, distance for them to run in track and field, more performing arts

2. Control of how women play: rules, non-combative, men could not watch them

3. Control of how women look: skinny, very feminine looking, “skirt theory”, not bulky looking

4. Control who counts who is a women: sex testing, gender body surveillance

What's the term? Societies gradually placed greater limits on self-control, behavior, personal manners, aggression, and violence

Civilizing process

The American Soccer League (ASL), founded in 1921, briefly succeeded through the support of these _______ , rivaling the ______ in attendance through the 1920s.

1. immigrants

2. NFL

What was Penn State’s role in the history of NCAA boxing? 

Penn State hosted the first intercollegiate boxing matches

True or False Slap fighting causes “rotational acceleration,” which is less dangerous than being punched in the face (linear acceleration).

False it is more dangerous

What was the first US sport to name a commissioner? 

baseball;MLB

86% of online gambling profits come from ___% of the gamblers. 

5 %

What are “gender-appropriate sports”? According to sociologist Brian Pronger, what are the 3 categories of masculinity in men’s sports? Give an example for each category.

Gender-appropriate sports, are sports that differ between man and women. Rules, distance, time, etc. According to Brian Pronger the 3 categories of masculinity in men’s sports are…

1. Violence-physical aggression (hockey, football)

2. Struggle/competition- sports focused on competing against one another (basketball, golf)

3. Aesthetic/skill- sport that involved skill and technique and was aesthetically pleasing to watch (dance, diving, figure skating)

Since 1937, what have been the different methods for “sex testing” women athletes? What was a "certificate of femininity"?

1. IAAF protested athletes “physical nature” women only

2. IAAF requires medical certificates women only

3. IOC requires certificates women only

4. gynecological exams for women only

5. “Nude Parade” women would have to streak to prove they had women parts

6. chromosome testing for XX gene

7. IAAF drops chromosome testing and instead requires SRY genetic testing

8. Today testing is based on “looks” usually targeted to middle to south african women

Andrew Sinclair discovered the SRY gene in 1990. What does he say about its use to determine biological sex?

He states that if the SRY gene alone cannot determine the biological sex of an individual there are many factors that contribute to sex characteristics.

Why is asking “who can compete in women’s sports” a wicked problem?

It is a “wicked problem” because it has no set solution and it strips transgender woman and cis women of their capabilities in athletics.

What was Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s attitude toward women in the Olympic Games?

He did not want women competing in the games

Who were Suzanne Lenglen & Gertrude Ederle? What were their major accomplishments, as described in this video we watched in class?

They were both extraordinary women who set records in sport and were real pioneers for women in sport. Suzanne Lenglen was a french tennis superstar she was considered the first global sports celebrity. Gertrude Ederle was an American swimmer who was the first women to swim acorss the english channel and beat the men’s record.

True or false: The Women’s Olympic Games of the 1920s were successful and popular.

False, the women ran the 800m in the 1920s Olympic games and about 8 of the contestants fainted, headlines soon called women to “fragile” to compete at high levels and changed their distance to 400m

Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias: How many events did she qualify for in the 1932 Olympics? How did she do? At what other sports did she excel?

Was one of the best all-around women athletes of the times, she excelled in track and field, tennis, and golf. She won gold medals and continued to prove to men that she was dominating.

Who was Jackie Mitchell? What happened when she pitched against the New York Yankees—including Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth—in 1931? How did Kenesaw Mountain Landis react to women in baseball?

Jackie Mitchell pitched against Babe Ruth, she struck him out and Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned women from competing in the MLB.

What is the Rooney Rule? What are the arguments for and against it?

It was a rule to allow “minorities” in the NFL a chance to be interviewed because every single position must be have 2 interviews with “minorities”

The arguments against the rule was that it should be “merit-based” but not everyone comes from the same starting line

Define meritocracy.  In your opinion, is US sport a meritocracy? Why or why not?

Meritocracy is the belief that people achieve power or success based on their personal tasks and skills, however in the US I believe that in sports poc do not have the same opportunities as white people and therefore sometimes we cannot only look on who has a better “resume”

Define nadir, color line, de jure, and de facto—explain how they connect.

Nadir: is the lowest point in sports history, the great depression, segregation, etc.

De jure: “by law” written into rules such as segregated specific program of sports

De facto: “in effect” agreement upon customary norms, segregation of sports solely because people agreed on it

True or false: Jack Robinson was the first Black man to play professional baseball in the U.S.

False it was actually Moses Fleetwood Walker

When and why did the National Football League (NFL) draw the color line?

The color line in the NFL was drawn in 1933 in a jure facto situation, before then two black americans played in the league, the great depression was a major reason why, during economic hardship teams needed the fan support and no controversy could be allowed

“_____, not _____, was often the very motive for developing sporting organizations.”

“Exclusion not inclusion” was often used because orgs wanted to make money

What is the “push-pull” phenomenon in relation to racially segregated sports?

Black athletes were pushed out of mainstream sports through segregation, exclusion, and discrimination, while at the same time pulled in when owners, promoters, or fans recognized their talent, drawing power, and financial value.

What is the oldest Black sports organization in the US? And who was “The largest black-owned business in the United States.”

The ATA- American Tennis Association

Negro Leagues was the largest

After which major geopolitical event did US sport start to desegregate?

World War II

True or false: Major League Baseball was the first professional sport to desegregate.

False, the NFL was actually desegregated before the MLB

Define interest convergence. How does that apply to the desegregation of Major League Baseball? To the desegregation of the NFL’s Washington R*dskins (now Commanders)? The desegregation of US tennis? To the Rooney Rule?

Interest convergence means racial progress will only continue if it benefits the interests of those in power

The Brooklyn Dodgers owner needed more wins, black people, like Jackie Robinson was very talented, so adding them to the roster allowed for more wins not because he was fighting against segregation

The Washington team was the last team to desegregate and since the stadium was federally owned, Kennedy threatened to revoke them if they did not integrate.

Althea Gibson- sports wanted to improve international reputation Gibson was exceptional and couldn’t be ignored

The Rooney rule becomes instated so that it requires teams to interview minorities candidates for head-coach and office jobs

Define: positional stacking, affinity bias, pipeline problem, coaching trees—how can you connect these three ideas together to better understand the underrepresentation of Black coaches in the NFL?

Positional Stacking: steering athletes into certain positions based on race

• Ex: In football, Black athletes have historically been stacked into positions seen as “physical” (RB, WR, DB) and kept out of positions seen as “intellectual” or “leadership‑heavy”

Affinity Bias: People tend to hire, mentor, and promote individuals who look like them, share similar backgrounds, or feel familiar.

• Ex:

  • Mostly white owners

  • Mostly white general manager

  • Mostly white head coaches

  • → leads to hiring people who feel “comfortable,” which often means other white coaches.

Pipeline Problem: A structural issue where certain groups have limited access to the early‑career roles that lead to head‑coaching jobs.

• Ex: Because Black athletes were historically stacked away from QB, they were also kept out of the coaching pipeline.