Homework 1/30

The text below is an example of how I would imagine you free writing out a topic. You should discuss several things:
1. The general umbrella topic that you want to write about: the music industry, construction ethics, teaching kids with learning disabilities, single parent family issues, etc.
2. Two or three issues you can take up for these essays: for instance, if the topic was teaching kids with learning disabilities the three issues could be a) the impact special classes (gym, art, music, foriegn language) has on special needs instruction; b) dealing with bilingual issues in special needs instruction; c) alternate pedagogies.
3. Why this has particular intrest for you. Again, as 101 should have taught you: the more interested you are in a topic, the more readily you will invest your time.

Homework Example:

For the four essays, I intend to focus on Sports Media. By that I mean the interesting relationship that exists between the sports news (both those channels exclusively dealing with sports news such as ESPN and Fox Sports; and the local news station sports shows). There seems to be an interesting balance between information that the viewer wants, and the level of secrecy and obscurity that the teams want to exist in. Take for instance the case of Anquan Boldin and the fight with offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Such occurances, if you listen to Boldin and others, happen regularly around the NFL, but the pervasiveness of the media coverage both during the game, and post game analysis has blown a relatively common situation out of proportion. The same can be said of the fight between Manny Rameriez and Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox, or Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett of the Cubs (Barrett now plays for the San Diego Padres). While such intrusion make cause the coaches and players to walk on eggshells, the force of the media has led to several discoveries of steroid use, other doping techniques and far more questionable practices, both in main stream professional sports and lesser known sports. During the 2008 Summer Olympics, the sports media raised questions about the age of the Chinese women's gymnastics team. These mere girls were being pushed the limits of their bodies ability to take physical abuse; this abuse was shown to have diasterous consequences on the girls later in life, causing some to be forced into retirement-like communities at 18, barely able to walk or use their hands. This was rationalized as an honorable sacrifice for the honor of the country, but the media raised questions that may (or may not) lead to policy changes.

There are a few routes into this tangled mess I could take:
1. I could examine how the media has led to policy changes in all the major sports (such as stricter regulations on doping and steroid use in baseball). There are clear benefits: less performance enhancing drugs being glorified by under-the-table use; but on the other hand, baseball has turned it's back on some the greats (Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, and others). These once heroes now have to answer for actions that were suggested by others before the media blew it out of control. Congress was then involved with wasted a lot of tax payers money on what is, essentially, just a game. Had the media not been involved, this scandal could have been handled more discretely allowing Bonds, McGuire and others to save face, and keeping Congress busy with more important tasks. However, without the persistant drive to find a story, we may not be any the wiser.

2. I could also look at how media attention to college sports has changed the face of American Universities (and some high school). More and more students are leaving college early for the bright lights of the professional stage. Some of this stems from the allure of a professional salary, but a good portion of the pressure that forces these decisions comes from the constant reporting and analyzing of these college players. Every move they make is taken apart and hundreds of opinions are given daily on what each student should do. Take Matt Lienert for instance: he wanted to take an extra year in college, and the press raked him across the coals. People claimed that he would lose millions of dollars by falling the NFL draft; others argued that he greatly increased his risk for injury at the college level which would kill his hopes for professional life; and so on. Some people succumb to this pressure (Troy Smith or Chris Leek, for example), and are never heard from again (Smith plays for the Ravens with limits snaps and Leek was cut from the Bears practice squad after the draft). While this does place undo amounts of pressure on the student-athletes, some are not equipped for or interested in the academic life. For whatever reason, these athletes may not get such an opportunity without the exposure from the media. For some student-athletes, playing a sport is the only way they can get a job better than minimum wage (significantly better). For these people, college is simple a training ground, and the more time spent in training does not imply the better performance once out. As Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and others have shown, little to no college is needed to succeed for some athletes. College would be a waste of time (and in the case of some who fail classes, a hinderence).

I take an interest in this because I watch a lot of ESPN in my free time, play in several fantasy league for most fantasy sports, and covered local high school sports for the local paper. My interest in sports has lead me to watch ESPN which may be making the above problems worse, or my attention to every aspect of these athletes lives is saving the sports in some way. I wonder what, as a passive observer, my role is in these sports. Technically, by paying to watch these games, I have a stake in the players salaries; in a way, I am a participant in their lives. How much control and information do I get?

End example.