The athlete as activist: Tiger Woods sure can hit a golf ball. Does that mean he should take a stand on social causes? (sports).Tiger Woods  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled. has won the prestigious Masters golf tournament three
times, an extraordinary feat for a 27-year-old. But he hasn't been
able to win the public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most war over the refusal of the Augusta
National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, located in the American city of Augusta, Georgia, is one of the most famous and exclusive golf clubs in the world. Founded by Bobby Jones on the site of a former tree nursery, the club opened for play in January 1933. , site of the Masters, to accept women members.
What does Woods have to do with women trying to gain entry to a private club in Augusta, Georgia? Plenty, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a prominent women's rights The effort to secure equal rights for women and to remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions, and behavioral patterns. The women's rights movement began in the nineteenth century with the demand by some women reformers for the right to vote, known as suffrage, and group, which demanded that Woods, as a minority athlete, take a stand against the discriminatory policy. Woods has said he would like to see a female member at Augusta National, but that the club has a fight to set up its membership however it chooses. Woods is not the first athlete asked to use his stature on behalf of a social issue. One sports expert says it's the price of the fame and wealth that comes with super-celebrity in sports and entertainment. "To those who are given great things, great things are expected," says Mary Jo Kane, a sports sociologist at the University of Minnesota (body, education) University of Minnesota - The home of Gopher. http://umn.edu/. Address: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. . "If you are in a privileged position, you have a responsibility to make things better for others." PROGRESS ON THE FIELD One reason people might expect social activism from athletes is because of the major role that sports has played in the larger culture. When Jackie Robinson Noun 1. Jackie Robinson - United States baseball player; first Black to play in the major leagues (1919-1972) Jack Roosevelt Robinson, Robinson became the first black baseball player in the Major Leagues in 1947, he carried on his rugged shoulders the fight of all black players and their future in what had been a white man's game. His breakthrough in "America's pastime" was also considered a milestone of black progress in the racially segregated U.S. Years later, tennis player Billie Jean King Noun 1. Billie Jean King - United States woman tennis player (born in 1943) Billie Jean Moffitt King, King zealously campaigned for equality for women, even as she used her skills on the court to raise the level and exposure of the women's game to a new plateau. When she beat the aging Bobby Riggs Robert Larimore ("Bobby") Riggs (February 25, 1918 – October 25, 1995) was a 1930s–40s tennis player who was the World No. 1 or the co-World No. 1 player for three years, first as an amateur in 1941, then as a professional in 1946 and 1947. in a nationally televised "Battle of the Sexes" match in 1973, women saw it as advancing the cause of gender equality in society. The efforts exerted by Robinson and King were different from the role that some people want Woods to play today. For one thing, they volunteered for their roles as activists. "They saw an injustice and made a decision to attack that injustice," Kane says. Some people want Woods involved in the Augusta debate because they believe he is in the best position to induce change. He is the world's top golfer, and he is of mixed racial heritage: His mother is Thai, his father African-American. Woods himself could not have played at Augusta National before 1990, because nonwhites were not welcome on the course. But Woods has been reluctant to go very far in his comments. "It would be nice to see everyone have an equal chance to participate," he said after the National Council of Women's Organizations This is a list of women's organisations. International
Criticized for that stance, he subsequently said of having women admitted as members, "That would be great, but I'm only one voice." PICKING HIS BATTLES Woods dismissed the idea of boy-cotting the Masters, choosing instead to focus on winning golf tournaments. "I like to pick my own causes," he said. Basketball superstar Michael Jordan This article is about the former basketball player. For other uses, see Michael Jordan (disambiguation). Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. found himself under similar pressure a few years ago. He was chastised chas·tise tr.v. chas·tised, chas·tis·ing, chas·tis·es 1. To punish, as by beating. See Synonyms at punish. 2. To criticize severely; rebuke. 3. Archaic To purify. for failing to challenge Nike's practice of employing child workers in some of its Asian factories. Jordan has long represented the sports apparel company, earning tens of millions of dollars in endorsement fees. His critics argued he should have used his considerable clout to push for change. High-profile athletes do pay a price for harnessing their fame to promote an activist agenda. If they take up controversial causes, they could jeopardize their careers or their lucrative endorsement incomes. Boxer Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali, pasha of Egypt Muhammad Ali, 1769?–1849, pasha of Egypt after 1805. He was a common soldier who rose to leadership by his military skill and political acumen. refused to serve in combat in Vietnam because he said it was against his religious faith as a Muslim. He was stripped of his heavyweight crown. U.S. sprinters John Carlos John Wesley Carlos (born June 5, 1945 in Harlem, New York) is an American former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner of the 200-meter at the 1968 Summer Olympics. and Tommie Smith
tr.v. clenched, clench·ing, clench·es 1. To close tightly: clench one's teeth; clenched my fists in anger. 2. fist--on the medals stand at the 1968 Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi Olympics, protesting racial strife back home. They were thrown off the U.S. team. Bob Kain Bob Kain is CEO of IMG, which is known the world's premier sports and lifestyle management and marketing firm. In September 2006, Kain became a board member of Aston Villa following Randy Lerner's acquisition of the club. , president of International Management Group, which represents Woods, says corporations don't want spokespeople who "alienate half the population." Indeed, tennis great Martina Navratilova Noun 1. Martina Navratilova - United States tennis player (born in Czechoslovakia) who won nine Wimbledon women's singles championships (born in 1956) Navratilova was said to have hampered her endorsement opportunities by advocating gay rights in the 1980s. Whether athletes are in position to effect change, they do influence their fans, especially younger fans, who look to them as role models. Woods has cast himself in this role with his commercials for Nike in which children of all races declare: "I am Tiger Woods." But does that make Woods fair game for causes that didn't inspire him to take action on his own? "Breaking barriers of discrimination isn't a walk in the park," says Kane, the sociologist. "That's why it takes a tremendous amount of courage." As long as these issues exist, star athletes, like it or not, will be asked to speak out and at least hit a verbal hole-in-one. THE ATHLETE AS ACTIVIST > NATIONAL Should Professional Athletes Be Role Models? Should They Speak Out on Social Issues? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS * Do you regard athletes as role models? * Do you believe Tiger Woods should speak out against sex discrimination at the Augusta National Golf Club? * What do you believe is the proper role of sports in American society? * Would you buy a product because it was promoted by a prominent athlete? TEACHING OBJECTIVES To help students understand a growing debate--whether professional athletes have an obligation to take a stand on important on social issues. CLASSROOM STRATEGIES BEFORE READING: Write the following quote, attributed to President John F. Kennedy "John Kennedy" and "JFK" redirect here. For other uses, see John Kennedy (disambiguation) and JFK (disambiguation). John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963), was the thirty-fifth President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in , on the board: "From whom much is given, much is expected." CRITICAL THINKING/DISCUSSION: How do students interpret the quotation? Does it mean that celebrities in certain professions--athletics or entertainment, for example--should pursue excellence in their profession? Or does it mean something more than that? Refer to the examples of baseball player Jackie Robinson and tennis player Billie Jean King. Can students imagine a world in which there are no African-American or female pro athletes? Ask students why they believe Robinson's and King's achievements in sports had positive social repercussions repercussions npl → répercussions fpl repercussions npl → Auswirkungen pl , beyond athletics. Did people who had previously harbored racist and sexist prejudices begin to see African-Americans and women in a new light? Next, turn to the thorny issue of Tiger Woods and gender discrimination at the Augusta National Golf Club. Refer students to Woods's comment that while "it would be nice to see everyone have an equal chance ... there is nothing you can do about it." Do they agree with Woods that there is no way to influence a change in club policy? Refer to the comments of sports sociologist Mary Jo Kane. Is it unfair to single. out Woods to take on this burden? Does Kane seem to contradict her earlier assertion that people in privileged positions have a responsibility to make things better for others? SUPPORTING THE CAUSE: Ask students to identify their favorite athlete(s). Then ask them to identify some social cause or fund-raising effort that they think their favorite athlete(s) should support or in some way identify with. Do some students believe that professional athletes have no role to play outside sports? If so, should that reasoning apply as well to popular entertainers? Upfront QUIZ 3 MULTIPLE CHOICE > NATIONAL DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter next to the best answer. 1. Golf great Tiger Woods is enmeshed en·mesh also im·mesh tr.v. en·meshed, en·mesh·ing, en·mesh·es To entangle, involve, or catch in or as if in a mesh. See Synonyms at catch. in an ongoing debate over the controversial policy of a Georgia club regarding a racial segregation. b mixed-gender social functions. c highly paid sports stars. d its refusal to admit female members. 2. Critics of the Augusta National Golf Club have taken aim at Tiger Woods because of his a huge earnings from golf. b huge earnings from commercial endorsements. c status as a member of a minority group. d usual eagerness to discuss social issues. 3. In 1947, the first African-American to play with a major-league baseball team stepped up to the plate. His name was a Hank Aaron. b Roy Campanella. c Willie Mays. d Jackie Robinson. 4. The women's rights movement got a boost from the success of Billie Jean King in the sport of a Olympic swimming. b tennis. c marathon running. d basketball. 5. Basketball star Michael Jordan has been sharply criticized for his failure to challenge a the use of child labor child labor, use of the young as workers in factories, farms, and mines. Child labor was first recognized as a social problem with the introduction of the factory system in late 18th-century Great Britain. in some Nike factories is Asia. b racial discrimination in Africa. c inadequate funding of inner-city schools. d inadequate funding of after-school sports programs. 6. Many younger fans a object to athletes doing sports-equipment commercials. b look to athletes as role models. c set a clear line between athletes' professional performance and their off-duty lives. d ignore athletes' views on social issues. ANSWER KEY 1. (d) its refusal to admit female members. 2. (c) status as a member of a minority group. 3. (d) Jackie Robinson. 4. (b) tennis. 5. (a) the use of child labor in some Nike factories in Asia. 6. (b) look to athletes as role models. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion