Titelist Marketing Plan

With the 2016 Summer Olympics approaching, Golf has returned to the Olympic games (Rio, 2016). Although, my client will not have the opportunity to participate because, Golf has never appeared in the Paralympics (Rio, 2016). I am representing my client James Gribble who has been an avid golfer throughout his lifetime, until he faced a life altering injury, which left him to be a quadriplegic. My client’s injury however does not stop him from doing what he loves. Mr. Gribble’s passion for sport has grown tremendously by having this impairment, which has led him to become an advocate for socially just representation of athletes with disabilities. However, what frustrates my client the most is the misrepresentation and narratives around impaired athletes in commercials and the media. 

There is a perpetuated belief that the mass media publicizes people with impairments as passive, depend recipients on charity and care, reinforcing their status as a minority group (Thomas & Smith, 2003). If one were to watch the Paralympic Games they would be surprised how athletic and competitive these athletes are. However the media and different media outlets reinforce this habitus and social perception that a person’s identity is shaped by their able-bodiedness (Purdue & Howe, 2012). The media reinforces these social perceptions through commentary and sports reporting by describing the heart-breaking tragedies and feel-good stories about the athletes overcoming their disability, which makes their high athletic performances subordinate to their impairment (Hinds, 2000, p.80).  Many elite athletes have been interviewed about participating in the Paralympics and that as athletes they wish to be recognized as athletes. These athletes should have the right to depict how they want to be recognized. However the media holds the power over how athletes and sport are portrayed in the media.

In the ways that the media publicizes the stories of the impaired athletes we tend to see more often the athletes who have physicality impairment such as amputees in commercials and media coverage. One reason why we see more athletes with physicality impairments in advertisements and commercials is because they have the closest resemblance to the ‘normal’ able-body athlete due to prosthetics.  The sport ethic continues to reinforce what real athletes should be and look like (Hughes & Coakley, 1991).  Where as, we tend to see fewer athletes who have cerebral palsy and or vision impairments on televised commercials.  Because the sport ethic reinforces the characteristic of what a real athlete should look like we tend to see the media use impaired athletes that closely resemble the elite able-bodied. Studies have researched how people in society view impaired athletes participating in sport and many have stated that it makes them feel awkward and have a sense of discomfort while watching (Hughes, 1999).  These feelings are more likely to emerge to due the social perceptions the media has created for impaired individuals which reinforces these thoughts that people with disabilities are depend on caregivers and their bodies are delicate and fragile.  But in reality those who have impairment are just as able-bodied as those without an impairment like my client Mr. Gribble for example.  These social perceptions and beliefs need a larger advocate than the Puffin Magic Foundation to be able to spread worldwide the awareness of how these athletes wish to be portrayed.

To provide a more socially just representation of my client Mr. Gribble and other impaired athletes I have a few recommendations for Titelist. Mr. Gribble has had the opportunity to be issued in the Golf Australia Magazine, which is an amazing achievement and inspiration to many. However, I think it is important to share his story more frequently, such as having his personal golf achievements and personal growth mentioned.  There are many people who are probably dealing with a similar impairment like Mr. Gribble and by reaching out to other magazine companies and Golf brands would allow to many to still aspire to play golf.  And Titelist can be the first Golf Brand to sponsor Mr. Gribble and help spread awareness of an athlete like Mr. Gribble. For example during the PGA Tour and other high profile golf tournaments there could be a special on providing awareness of Mr. Gribble story and how impaired athletes would like to be received in society and through the media. At this point the only time impaired athletes are advertised in commercials for sport is during the Paralympics. And by providing these specials on impaired athletes would create more avenues for spreading awareness that these athletes are more than their impairment but they too real athletes.

And on behalf of the Puffin Magic Foundation and James Gribble himself we hope that your company will accept this marketing plan and would like to spread the awareness of creating a more socially just sports environment for all impaired athletes.

If only more of this could be seen around the world: 

Click on link below- 

http://www.rightthisminute.com/video/designers-create-mannequins-based-bodies-people-disabilities

References:

Hinds, R. (2000). Sense and Sensilbility: Delicate Balance of Reporting the Paralympics. Sydney Morning Herald.

Hughes, A. (1999). The Paralympics. In: R. Cashman and A. Hughes, eds. Staging the Olympics: the event and its impact. Sydney: UNSW Press, 170–180.

Hughes, R. & Coakley, J. (1991). Positive Deviance among Athletes: the implications of over-conformity to the sport ethic. Sociology of Sport Journal, (8), 307-325.

Purdue, D. & Howe, P. (2012).  See the Sport, Not the Disability: exploring the Paralympic Paradox. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.

Rio (2016). Golf: The Olympic Games Retrieved from:

http://www.rio2016.com/en/the-games/olympic/sports/golf

Thomas, N. and Smith, A. (2003). Preoccupied with Able-Bodiedness? An Analysis of the British Media Coverage of the Paralympic Games. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 20, 166-181

Do Dreams Really Come True?

My name is Maria Ramos I am 26-year-old Hispanic mother of two wonderful children.  Today I would like to share with you my story and the hurdles I deal with on a daily basis and a new barrier that I have come to face.

As a child I grew up in South Stockton on the other side of Highway 4. Just as I was about to enter high school when I found out that I was pregnant with my first child Jessica who is now twelve years old.  I was devastated and shocked that I have fallen into the typical stereotype of a “Teen Mom” (Simigiu & Henter, 2013). At this point in my life I was still living at home with my parents and the father of my child was out of the picture. My parents told me that they would help me raise my daughter but once I turned 18, I would have to be fully independent and move out.  If it weren’t for my parents helping raise my daughter I would have not become one of the 68% of residents who have graduated from high school.  However even though I was able to graduate high school, I received a very unexpected graduation present, which was my son Andre who is now 8 years old. Andre’s father filled the absence of Jessica father throughout her childhood and partially Andre’s childhood. However, Andre’s father Jordan got caught up in drug dealing and is now locked away in prison for armed robbery and possession of drugs. He was a great father to my children when he was around and always tried to help out with finances when he could but now I on my own.  My parents were very upset with the decisions that I have made and  less willing to help care for my new son because of the financial burden I caused them with Jessica.

I was very lucky that a couple months after the birth of my son I was granted a position in a warehouse to work the morning shift. I was very excited to receive this position this would allow me to try and provide for my family.  This shift works well with my schedule now because, I am able to work while my children are in school and off in time to pick them up from After School Program.  Although, even though it provides me some more quality time with my children I still struggle being able to provide them the basic necessities to live a healthy and active lifestyle.  Alone my average annual household income is around $18, 000. Below in the table is my average monthly spending.

Table 1. Average Monthly Spending

Rent & Utilities	$750
Food	$300
Car Payment & Gas	$300
Phone Bill	$150
Total Monthly Spending	$1,500

By looking at my average monthly spending this is realistically barely enough to get by month to month. This is where I run into this new dilemma.  With the passing of the winter Olympics my oldest child Jessica has become fascinated in playing in sports. She come home everyday and tells me about what she participates in during Physical Education (PE). She has expressed to me that in PE they have been playing tennis and she absolute loves it and wants to play after school. During the same week she watched this movie called “Blindside” which is a rag to riches type of story. Jessica now believes that could be her but by playing tennis. As a parent, I want her to participate in tennis after school because maybe it will steer her away the same path I went down when I was her age. But on the other hand I do not want to crush her dreams of become a professional/elite athlete. However, I did the research on what it would cost for her to play on club team and the location of the facilities.  The good thing is that the closest and most well kept facilities are about a 5-minute drive, which is at Oak Park Tennis Club. The Membership fee is $40 for single or $60 for family (Membership Fee, 2014).  As for equipment Jessica would also need proper clothing, racket, tennis balls. And in this case if I were to go through this to provide Jessica what she desires I would pay the family membership fee; that way Andre has equal opportunity to play if he wants too that would mean I would have to double the equipment and clothing.

Looking at my budget as it stands now I can’t afford this at all. I would have to find another job if I wanted to make this work which is nearly impossible because then I would have the added expense to find someone to watch my children during my second shift and on the weekends. Not only I would have to provide less nutritional meals to try and save money. But that is not ideal. I am their only provider, and I have to do what I think is right and will most benefit them. If I allow Jessica the opportunity try this new hobby, what if she doesn’t like it or she losses interest in the sport.  Then all that money I have worked hard for then just went to waste. This is where I need guidance as a parent.  I do not want to crush my daughter’s dreams. But I still want to make my daughter happy. And now I will have to explain to her my decision.

My explanation to Jessica:

Jessica, you are an inspiration to me.  At your age I wish I had the same dreams and goals that you have now.  I want to do my best to provide you and Andre a better life than I had growing up as a child. And to do that their comes sacrifice and compromise. I want you to understand that it very hard to become a professional athlete. In the movie “Blindside” it shows how Michael Oher’s overcame adversity but the family that helped him had the ability to provide him all the necessary needs and contacts to get him where he needs to be. Hunny, I don’t have the money or know the right people to talk to, to help become an elite athlete (Romagnoli & Wall,2012). I think from that movie the most important thing you need to know is that to be able to play competitive sport you need to do well in school.  You are a smart young lady and I think you have what it takes to achieve your dream. But, before I put you on a tennis club lets see how much you like it and you need to show me that if you want to do this you will be focused on school first. And when we have the time and I can save some money we can see about getting you a tennis racket and a couple of balls to practice. I am so sorry sweetie that we can’t put you on a tennis club right now but keep working hard and I will try to make your dream come true.

References:

“Membership Fee.” (2014). Stockton Tennis Club. Retrieved from http://stocktontennisclub.net/membership.html on March 23, 2014.

Romagnoli, A. & Wall, G. (2012). ‘I know I’m a good mom’: Young, low-income mothers’ experiences with risk perception, intensive parenting ideology and parenting education programmes. Health, Risk & Society: Routledge. Vol. 14 (3).

Simigiu, A. & Henter, R. (2013). Meta-Stereotypes Concerning Teen Pregnancy. International Conference of Scientific Paper.

The (ab)use of indigenous culture in US sport

For a person who is very interested in sports and has been around sports for a long time, I never realized the effect of sports teams’ names, logos, and mascots had on others until taking a class in my undergraduate.  One reason why I thought it was okay to have these teams’ names was because I grew up always knowing these sports teams having these names. Also I thought that sports organizations would make sure that any symbol used to represent a team/sport would be respectful and accepting. My thoughts soon began to alter with now a deeper understanding of how negative and demeaning some sport teams names, logos, and mascots are.

The social issue that is being examined is the usage of the indigenous culture in US sport and the continuation of oppression of this culture.  One significant factor that plays a large role is symbolism within sport. “Symbols have the power to both unite followers and divide groups into us and them” (Etizen, 2009 p.43).  However, in this particular issue, symbols of the indigenous culture are dividing more than uniting.   

It is important to examine why is this issue dividing rather than uniting and the history behind the indigenous culture.  When speaking about the indigenous culture it can also be referred as the Native American population.  The Native American populations are those who first discovered what is now the US. And at that moment in time the Native American population obtained the power over this land however, only until Christopher Columbus set foot on this land. From that moment on the Native American population power chances were rapidly decreased. Many Native Americans passed away form disease and displacement caused by the U.S. Victory over Britain (History.Com Staff, 2009). Following this victory the federal Indian Removal Act (1830) even more so oppressed the indigenous culture forcing tribes to move so the white settlers can have ‘their’ land (History.Com Staff, 2009).  However, when learning about the history about Native American population it only seems to get talked about around the Thanksgiving Holiday. When growing up as a child celebrating Thanksgiving and watching Disney’s movie Pocahontas provided me with this notion that the indigenous culture is all about uniting and creating peace amongst others. However, the dark side was always casted in the shadows. A parallel situation can be seen in sport.  The rhetoric of sport is supposed to create this level of unity, pride and accepting of others. Although, sport is not all fun and games it has a dark side oppressing many within its figuration such as with the indigenous culture. One can begin to see the differences between the rhetoric and the reality when analyzing this issue from a ProSoc lens.

There are many cases where the usage sports teams’ names, logos, and mascots that resemble the indigenous culture are seen as derogatory, racist and disrespectful.  Take the Big 4 for instance each sports organization has at least one team that has some affiliation to the indigenous culture. 

(See table 1.)

Table 1. 

The Big 4 and connections with the indigenous culture. 

NFL	Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs
MLB	Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians
NBA	Atlanta Hawks formerly known as the Tri-City Blackhawks, Golden State- Warriors
NHL	Chicago Blackhawks

The team that has been viewed to have the most derogatory name is the Washington Redskins football team.  To many Native Americans the term ‘Redskins’ is offensive and most find it equivalent to calling African Americans, ‘niggers’ (Hylton, 2010). There have been many controversies over this team name but nothing has been resolved in this particular case. The Harjo was one attempting solution to make this issue just. The Harjo disputed that the Redskins trademark “may be disparaging of Native Americans to a substantial composite of this group of people," and "may bring Native Americans into contempt or disrepute” (Hylton, 2010). However this attempt to create a more socially just environment failed it was a start to rise from this long withstanding oppression.  The solutions that I purpose are not solutions that will have immediate effect but in hopes to have a lasting effect once put into action. To make this issue more socially just there has been some change in the indigenous symbols are being used within the sport figuration. There has been a start in many schools that have previously used indigenous symbols by changing mascots and schools names in respect of the native culture.  Although that is a start, I think that if any organization wants to use a symbolic name or mascot of any Native Tribe that organization should ask that Tribe first to receive permission. I think this will help the indigenous culture establish more power relations within society as well as re-established their identity within sport the way they want to be recognized.  Also with gaining permission to represent the indigenous culture, those organizations should be educated as well as educate those about the culture they are representing.

References:

Eitzen, S. (2009). Fair and Foul: Beyond the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport (4^th ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 

History.Com Staff (2009). Native American Cultures.  A+E Networks. History.com. Website: http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/native-american-cultures

Hylton, J. (2010). Before The Redskins Were The Redskins: The Use Of Native American Team Names In The Formative Era Of American Sports, 1857-1933. North Dakota Law Review, 86(4), 879-903.

Discussion Reflection

One reason why we chose this issue was because it was something that was different and not commonly talked about in the discussion of sport and education. Carmen and I first wanted to explore the issues around academic fraud and student integrity however, after researching this topic we found that it was very commonly discussed and we wanted to find something that was a little different. We then decided to focus on the draft requirements for the BIG 3 and the issues it has within collegiate sport. I personally had some familiarization with draft rules mainly within MLB and knew that there were drafts for the NBA and Combines for football but never knew in detail what the requirements were. Which in this case the topic became very foreign to me. It was interesting to find out that the draft requirements strongly imply that getting a college education and or just going to college is the only way to get drafted. Which then in turn makes most BCS and elite basketball schools farm teams for professional sports organizations.

Prior to the experience of facilitation I thought that Carmen and I spent an abundant amount of time research and reading articles to make sure we were fully prepared for the discussion. Going into the discussion of course, I was nervous and worrying about if we covered everything prior to make sure we weren’t hit with any questions we couldn’t answer.  I think because this topic was very different and out of some student’s realms, it made it a bit difficult to start the conversation once we opened into our large circle.  But as the conversation started to flow and take off it was much easier to sit back and listen and take notes.  I think one element that was hard was making sure we were staying on track. At times I think we went a little off course and drifted away from our scenario topic. However at times it was ok because we understood that we did not have a lecture before this class some of the other topics that are around sport and education would arise and in which lead into some of our discussion questions. In the future, I would suggest making sure we are spending our time discussing on the topic at hand and being aware of our time. I think that it helped when Killick was there at the end of class to capture and summarize those main points that we have missed.

During the discussion I thought Carmen and I did a good job of planning small group activities at the beginning and end of the lesson. I think the small groups help the students feel more comfortable discussing what they researched and be able to share ideas and thoughts others may bring up more intimately. So when they join as an entire class students have support from their group and have received maybe a different side of thinking already. I think one thing that helped Carmen and I during the discussion process was how much we met and discussed our topic. We became very familiar with our topic and made sure we planned a quality lesson for our students. And because of that we were able to push the class more diligently and have them think more critically about the social problems that exist within the collegiate sport complex.

One thing I want to do is thank Carmen for pushing me to think more critically. It was very difficult for me just being a recently retired athlete to see and understand all the issues that arise with playing an elite sport. And to think critically about this certain issue as an former athlete was very mind blowing. As I was trying to take everything in from the discussion and digest all the information, I was glad Carmen was by my side to help facilitate the discussion.