Riley Cooper v.s. Mass Media

Over the years, sport and the mass media have developed a more intertwined and in-depth relationship. In a previous class that I have taken called ‘Sport in America’ provided me with the background knowledge and awareness of this relationship between sport and the mass media. Mass media has now many more outlets to provide information compared to the past 10 years.  And with the development of technology and the invention of social media applications this interdependent relationship has rapidly gotten closer.

I have chosen to examine the media representation of Riley Cooper. The reason why I choose to further examine the social problem of Riley Cooper and his use of racial slurs mainly because I was unaware that this incident had even occurred. As for Richard Sherman’s, his excited victory interview rocked the sports world and all forms of media relations. In which I was intrigued to learn more about Riley Cooper actions and how the ‘mass media’ framed his situation.

Oklahoma City’s Riley Cooper joined the NFL as a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 (NFL, 2014).  In June of 2013 Cooper attended a Kenny Chesney concert in which during the concert he had a disagreement with an African American security guard who denied him backstage access. Which then lead Cooper who was intoxicated at the time to yell “I will jump that fence and fight every nigger here bro.” Little did he know that his actions were caught on video. This moment quickly went viral once the footage was released in which the mass media had great amount of power chances in spreading this social issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dEQxO8Yuas

The term mass media refers to all the technically organized means of communication that reach large numbers of diverse people quickly and efficiently (Eitzen, 2009). Cooper’s situation was documented in various forms of media, which include instant video footage of the act; the use of social media applications were used to globally spread the acts of Cooper as well as the televised apology press release.  Once this video went viral, headlines labeled Cooper a racists, a long with many disappointed phrases. Cooper actions not only affected many of his teammates but the whole figuration he is involved in such as his fans, African Americans, and the National Football league.  With the season quickly approaching Cooper needed to stay focused, in which he did having his best season of the year. He caught 41 passes, and his 743 receiving yards and seven touchdowns have surpassed the totals of his first three seasons combined (Merrill, 2013).  These achievements soon put his rocky start to the season in the past and his achievements took over the spot light. How was Cooper able to overcome this issue so quickly? 

By looking at this situation through a process sociological lens many aspects can contribute to Cooper’s rise over adversity.  I will only focus on two aspects. First, that habitus behaviors created by the figuration that winning and successful athletic performance will restore the player’s identity (Maguire,1994). “But Cooper's story is about more than redemption. It's about a team with strong leadership. It's about forgiveness. It's about a young athlete who was seemingly born with everything waking up one day and realizing he was on the verge of winding up with nothing” (Merrill, 2013).  This every statement leads directly into the second reason as to why Cooper was able to overcome this adversity.

Cooper obtains a great source of power chances is due to the fact that he has white male privileges (Johnson, 2010). He was born into a world with specific set of social identities these at which predispose him to an unequal role in the dynamic system of oppression (Harro, 2010). In this situation Cooper’s choice of language reinforced the history of oppression against African Americans. Cooper’s privileges did not however give him the power chances to get rid of this video footage.  The media sources held the upper hand on this situation by having the ability to control Cooper and monitor his actions in the future. Specifically, news reporters had the opportunity to ask Cooper questions about his behavior during his apology press release in which he provided more details about that event.  During this press release Cooper was faced with a question which reinforce the his sense privileges which was, if he had ever used this term before, and in his response he states, “ I don’t use that word.  I was raised better than that. This isn’t person that I am ” This statement is very powerful which his choice of language shows that he is puts himself at fault however he still contains power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U39eBpEdAKQ

Even though Cooper had one of the best seasons of his career after the incident he still had to face the consequences of his actions. One short-term consequence that Cooper faced was a fine for undisclosed dollar amount (Merrill, 2013). Another short-term consequence that Cooper faced was confutation with teammates because of his use of derogatory terms. This consequence can also have long-term effects as well. For instance in short- term with season that was about two and half months away the Cooper effected the teammates camaraderie and trust ability however in long-term this is an issue that could have potentially ruined the entire teams dynamics throughout the season.  Another long-term consequences that Cooper will endure are the disappointment from his fans. He may have gained some of their support back during the season however many people in Cooper’s figuration were truly disappointed in what they saw.  

            After gaining more background knowledge I found it very interesting how the mass media portrayed Riley Cooper and his actions. From my understanding Cooper situation was swept under the rug once season began allowing him the privilege to play football. In all other cases for example Richard Sherman an African American the mass media portray him as this “thug” who can not control his temper. Which reinfornces the cultural stereotypes the figuration created. 

References:

Eitzen, D.S & Sage, G.H (2009) Sociology of North American Sport. Boulder, Paradigm publishers: Chapter 11

Harro, B (2010).  The cycle of socialization.  In Adams, M; Blumenfeld, W; Castaneda, C; Hackman, H; Peters, M & Zuniga, X. (Eds.) (2010).  Readings for Diversity & Social Justice (2^nd Ed.).  New York: Routledge, pp 45-51

Johnson, A (2010).  The social construction of difference.  In Adams, M; Blumenfeld, W; Castaneda, C; Hackman, H; Peters, M & Zuniga, X. (Eds.) (2010).  Readings for Diversity & Social Justice (2^nd Ed.).  New York: Routledge, pp 16-20

Maguire, J.  (1994). Figurations, power, civilizing processes. In Jarvie, G & Maguire, J (1994).  Sport & Leisure in Social Thought.  London: Routledge. Pp 130-137

Merrill, E. (2013). Hot Read: How Riley Cooper put Slur in Past.  ESPN,NFL.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10155320/nfl-hot-read-how-riley-cooper-put-slur-past?ex_cid=espnapi_public

NFL. (2014). Philadelphia Eagles 2013 Roster Bios. 

http://www.nfl.com/player/rileycooper/497282/profile

2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro:

The structure of the Olympics games have transformed over the years moving from a celebration of the Nations uniting to now an elaborate mega-event celebrating the magnificent infrastructures built to hold the Olympic games. In relation to the Sport Paradox it is mentioned that there is a human desire to identify with something greater than oneself and for cities their desire is being able to stage a mega sporting event such as the Olympics (Eitzen, 2006). This shift has become more economically significant due to the increase in commercialization of Sports (Malfas et al., 2004). The Olympics and other mega-sporting events are more commonly used as a media event to draw attention to positive impacts and rehabilitation process of their city and how the games have relieved them from ongoing tensions (Tomlinson & Young, 2006).  Although, the Olympic games do provide an opportunity to cities to enhance and revitalize their environment, not every city has the power to host such mega-sporting events.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the central power of the Olympic Movement in which they also hold the power to select the city to stage the Olympics (Malfas et al., 2004). From a process sociology perspective the IOC contain a greater source of “power chances” over the prospective hosting cities (Magurie, 1994).  Once the hosting city has been chosen for example in this case take Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The “power chances” are in flux within Briazilian President Dilma Rousseff, IOC Member in Brazil Bernard Rajzman, and the President of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, Carlos Nuzman and IOC Coordination Commission Chair, Nawal El Moutawake (Olympic. Org, 2013). This group of names mentioned will all have a dynamic power balance and responsibly to construct and organize a magnificent Summer Olympics in 2016.

The Official Website of the Olympic Movement states, “The Rio 2016 Games will provide the best possible environment for peak performances. Athletes will enjoy world-class facilities, including a superb village, all located in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, in a compact layout for maximum convenience” (Olympic.org, 2013). President of the IOC Thomas Bach who recently visited in Rio stated “The Rio 2016 venues will be a magnificent backdrop for the sporting exploits of the athletes in 2016” (Olympic.org, 2013). President Bach is only referring to Rio’s extravagant sports facilities, the beautiful beaches and lush tropical forests, which will be the most televised during the Olympic games.  And to keep people on the “Olympic high” in reference to being high on opiates, the cities government have been involuntarily relocating the less privileged citizens to provide more land for the over-budgeted stadiums and Olympic attractions (Young, 2014).  In which these acts exploit the desperation to stage a bigger and better Olympic show (Malfas et al., 2004).

With the construction of these large facilities that will hold immense capacities of people, there are short and long-term environmental consequences caused by the staging of a mega-sporting event such as the Summer Olympics. The general yet most concerning environmental consequence that Rio faces now is the ability to reduce the pollution in the waterways. With the force from the cities government to relocated the less privileged into below average living areas, these areas will now contribute even more solid waste due to the confined living space. Nearly 70 percent of Rio's sewage goes untreated, meaning runoff from its many slums and poor neighborhoods drain into waters soon to host some of the world's best athletes (Barchfield, 2013). Around the site of the future Olympic Park the waters glisten of neon green color, which reflects the average fecal pollution rate, is 78 times that of the Brazilian government's "satisfactory" limit — and 195 times the level considered safe in the U.S. (Barchfield, 2013).  Although, in Rio’s Sustainability Management Plan, they plan to resolve this issue of the water contamination by providing only pre-treatment and primary treatment at sewage treatment stations, with a biological oxygen demand (BOD) reduction factor of 30 per cent (p.41). As well as monitoring water quality and implementing oceanographic monitoring of the coastal range, and the municipal government will carry out continuous monitoring of the water quality of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon at five sampling stations and in the canals and rivers connected to the lagoon (Sustainability Management Plan, 2013).

But is that enough?  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, IOC Member in Brazil Bernard Rajzman, the President of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, Carlos Nuzman and IOC Coordination Commission Chair, Nawal El Moutawake all have the power to appropriately address this concern but do they find it a large enough priority to reduce spending on other infrastructure projects.  Mario Moscatelli, a biologist who oversees the reforestation of mangrove forests along the bay, said he fears that even if the bay is cleaned up, the state will let it deteriorate after the athletes go home (Barchfield, 2013).  In this case those who are in power are bound by the habitus behaviors in such ways that the first priority to hosting a mega event is to provide an even more theatrical and over the top for lack of better words event. With less attention focused on the how their decisions will affect the figurations relationship around them; this shows that they do not hold true value the principles of Olympism. 

In short-term the water contamination will have major effects on the athletes not only during their performance, but also during practice, and their overall health. This issue will also affect those who are spectators of the water sports that are participating in these high-contaminated waters. However, these athletes/ spectators are only going to be around these area for a short duration of time, it those who have to live with the long-term effects of this issue that are the most at risk. And once the games are over those who resided near the staging cities will have to live with the excessive waste that was brought in from this mega –event.

To conclude, to overcome this issue, the frameworks and ideologies behind such mega-sporting events will have to change to focus on the more human development.  However, this recommended solution is far out of reach.  Although, in short terms, it is important to understand the your place during these games and become aware of the hidden issue casted in the shadows. 

References:

Barchfield, J. (2013). The Big Story: Rio Olympic Waterways Full of Trash, Sewage. Associated Press.

Eitzen, D.S  (2006).  Fair and Foul: Beyond the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport (2^nd Ed.).  Oxford, 

            Rowman & Littlefield: Chapter 1

Maguire, J.  (1994). Figurations, power, civilizing processes. In Jarvie, G & Maguire, J (1994).  Sport & Leisure in Social Thought.  London: Routledge. Pp 130-137

Malfas, M. et al. (2004). Impacts of the Olympic Games as Mega-Event. Municipal Engineer. Issue      

             ME3.

Olympic.Org (2014).  http://www.olympic.org/rio-2016-summer-olympics

Sustainability Management Plan. (2013). Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Version 1.

Tomlinson, A.  & Young, C. (2006). National Identity and Global Sports Events:

            Culture, Politics, and Spectacle in the Olympics and the Football World Cup. State University

            of New York Press.

Young, R.  (2014).  Concerns Over Brazil’s Readiness for World Cup and Summer Olympics. Here & 

            Now. Interview.

The Take Down of Sandusky

The Investigation of Jerry Sandusky created uproar within the sporting world.  One may think how could this scandal be kept a secret for so long? This case is a seamless example of how power can influence and enable acts of criminal and unjust behaviors.

June 22, 2012, is the date that Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison on the conviction of 45 of 48 remaining counts of child abuse (ESPN, 2012).  Sandusky First began his coaching career at Penn State University in 1969 as a defensive line coach (ESPN, 2012). Sandusky’s passion to help those who are in need lead him to become the Founder of The Second Mile non-profit organization in 1977 (Chappell, 2012). Little did anyone know that The Second Mile would become Sandusky’s access to his adolescent victims. Using his high profile career to lure his victims it would have seemed as if Sandusky created the perfect cover up for his horrific obsessions. 

However, this double life that Sandusky thought was his little secret would soon unraveled after a period of time, marking him as a “failure of leadership”(Albino). 

It would be on November 26, 1994 when Sandusky ‘s would have to begin to pay more attention to his actions. Nov 26, Sandusky victim 7 admitted that he had been touched inappropriately as well as showered with Sandusky (Chappell, 2012).  And then a couple years later in May of 1998, Sandusky returned his 6^th victim to his mother with a wet head in which the victim told his mother that he had showered with Sandusky (Chappell, 2012).  The following year (1999) later decided to retire from his coaching career. However Sandusky was granted “emeritus” allowing him access to use Penn States Facilities at anytime (Sporkin, 2012, p.21).

Penn States Head Coach of 45 years Joe Patnero is a legendary football coach who was tied for the all-time winning record in Division 1 college football. (Albino, 2012 p. 137).  What was most remarkable about this coach, however was his reputation for doing things the “right way” and how his program usually was the model held up for others that had gone astray (Albino, 2012 p.137). However many would now disagree that “the right way” was the “wrong way” due to Sandusky outrageous behavior.  One would think why didn’t Paterno take more action in preventing reoccurrence of such unjust behavior.  The power balance relations in this case can be more thoroughly examined from a sociological lens of process sociology. Process sociology is the most appropriate sociological theory to examine this case in which it focuses on the power balances within figurations (Maguire, 1994). Elias defines Process Sociology with several key concepts, which include the following that human beings are interdependent, that their lives evolve in the figurations that they form with each other, that these figurations are continually in flux, and that the long-term developments taking place in figurations have been and continue to be largely unplanned and unforeseen (Maguire, 1994 p.130-131).  

When applying Elias first concept of human beings are interdependent, Sandusky had a web of people that were largely affected by his actions. The power position that Sandusky held affected many witnesses and their decisions made to turn him in. For example, the janitor James Calhoun witnessed Sandusky showering in the Lasch Football building with a young boy and immediately reported what he saw to his supervisor Jay Witherite and fellow physical plant employee Ronald Petrosky (ESPN, 2012). In the Calhoun’s situation he had no personal connections to Sandusky. However, Sandusky did have an interdependent relationship with Calhoun.

In the second concept that Elias focuses on that people lives evolve in the figurations that they form with each other (Maguire, 1994 p. 130).  In Sandusky’s case the figurations that he formed not only affected his family but also shook the entire sports world.

The third concept Elias uses to define the sociological process that these figurations are continually in flux (Maguire, 1994 p. 131).  Sandusky network of people and power consistently changed during time before conviction. Sandusky power was in flux throughout his entire career however, he still maintained to have more power over others as well as use his power as an intimidation factor.

The final aspect used to define the sociological process is that the long-term developments taking place in figurations have been and continue to be largely unplanned and unforeseen (Maguire, 1994 p.131).

We have discussed the power of Sandusky and his influence on others but the question remains of how much power did Coach Paterno have? Many would say that Coach Paterno did not do enough that he could have stopped the disgusting habit of Sandusky. Coach Paterno’s first engagement with Sandusky inappropriate actions was when graduate assistant Mike McQueary confronted him about what he had witness in the Penn State locker room in 2002. Coach Paterno proceeded to address the actions with the athletic director Tim Curley. In defense of Coach Paterno he followed the correct procedures when reporting the situation. According to the Penn State Student Affairs Policy for Reporting Incidents of Child Abuse and Sexual Assault:

Though the law requires incidents to be reported to the person ‘in charge of the institution,’ Student Affairs staff are expected to report all incidents of child abuse as soon as possible to their supervisor, to University or local police and to Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Child Line at (800) 932-0313. This phone line is staffed 24 hours daily.

In this case Coach Paterno did do what he was expected to be right following his motto of doing things the “right way”. But was his “right way” enough? Did he even use his power to his maximum potential to make an impact on the situation? That is a question that still remains. In Coach Paterno eye’s he felt that that is all he could do. At the point in time Sandusky was no longer on the coaching staff of the Penn State football team, which could be a plausible cause to why Coach Paterno, didn’t think he could do more.  The questions to if Coach Paterno could have done morewill remain unanswered. Coach Paterno was unable to provide his testimony due to his passing of cancer.

References:

Albino, J. (2013). Distinguished Psychologist In Management Award: Personal Leadership    Identity and Leadership Frames: Understanding What Happened at Penn State. American Psychological Association. Vol. 16: No.3, Pp 131-146

Chappell, B. (2012). Penn State Abuse Scandal: A Guide And Timeline. Available:      http://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/142111804/penn-state-abuse-scandal-a-guide-and-timeline Retrieved 29th January, 2014.

ESPN (2012). Topics: Penn State Scandal Overview & Timeline. Available:          http://espn.go.com/ncf/topics/_/page/penn-state-scandal.  Retrieved 31^st January, 2014.

Maguire, J. (1994). Figurations, power, civilizing processes. In Javrie, G &Maguire, J   (1994). Sport & Leisure in Social Thought. London: Routledge. Pp 130-137


Sporkin, F. & Sullivan, LLP (2012). Report of the Special Investigation Regarding the            Actions of The Pennsylvania State University Related to The Child Sexual Abuse Committed by Gerald A. Sandusky.