...infatuated with competitive play against one another. We owe this anomaly to the primeval mentalities left behind through human evolution; and, we certainly have much to thank for these actions. Sporting, as is explained by renowned sports author Richard Davies, is the “Organized competitive activity between participants that requires some combination of skill and physical prowess.”1 Though, something more complex and unusual also comes with activity of this nature, and this is the ability to forget the destitution and difficulty of everyday life and the capability to be on a level playing field with many people that believe the same way, no matter what socio-economic class they represent. One sport in particular has transcended all other games, has continually been a psychological shelter from pain and hardships of life, and also a cultural rocket breaking through the social barriers in the American society. That sport is simply the most beloved American game of all, baseball. The purpose of this essay is to critically explore a myriad of aspects of life that have been changed due to sports, all the while concentrating on baseball as the main focal point. Further, this work will continually pose the question of how it is conceivable that a single and simple sport could greatly impact a country the way baseball has the United States. At the time of the first foreign inhabitants of North America, life was more difficult than someone of the twenty-first century could have imagined. The...
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...History of Sports betting in the American Culture Sport betting was a natural part of the culture of the early Americans. Between then and now, the sport betting industry has dramatically increased in popularity and has adapted with changes along the way. Americans, as a society, often frown upon anything to do with gambling and view it as a vice, however, there are some advantages to what the Sports Betting industry can offer should it be made legal. Sports betting(and gambling in general) can lead to a destructive lifestyle, is the cause of many strained relationships as well as cause a huge deficit of debt for someone, among other consequences. Americans know these ramifications and continue to part take in the action but obviously not for those reasons. Sport betting socially has its benefits as well such as winning money, fun and excitement, and even getting out of debt. Sports betting in America is a national past time in its own right and the idea of legalizing it has been a constant battle among it’s lawmakers. The founders of the United States were risk-takers by nature, hence the obvious attraction to gambling in all forms. Back then, people bet on makeshift horse races, cockfights and bare-knuckle brawls since there was not much else. Colonists from England had gambling in their blood since their fathers and grandfathers had been doing it for generations - not only in hopes of a profit but also as a form on leisure and entertainment(California Libraries, Web)...
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...in detail. soccer The game What makes a team like Real Madrid so interesting for sponsors and fans worldwide? What makes soccer so interesting for us? Soccer is the world’s most popular sport. Nearly every child kicked a soccer ball once in his live. More than 240 million people play at least once a week. Such a big sport needs a big parent organization in its background. This job is done by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The FIFA which was founded 1904 in Paris established a unified set of rules. This rules are easy to understand and are of course one of the reasons why soccer is so popular all over the world. Also the time a soccer game lasts is defined by the FIFA, its two halves of 45 minutes split by a 15 minute brake. In elimination games an overtime of two times 15 minutes and also a penalty shoot-out at the end of overtime is possible. This is a big advantage for sponsors and TV broadcasts compared to other sports like American football or boxing where the time for a game or fight is nearly unpredictable. You can have 12 rounds of barn-storming fight or a knockout after 10 seconds. At soccer games they can calculate and time their spots and broadcasting exactly. There is also the FIFA World championship which is the second largest worldwide sport event beside the Olympic Games. In 2002 the FIFA World championship had a cumulative...
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...a comparative study accentuate the distinctive contexts of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and A Room of One’s Own? A Room of One’s Own (1929) by Virginia Woolf and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962) by Edward Albee, when compared, accentuate the difference in values and beliefs that pervaded the context in which they wrote. Woolf’s critical yet creative essay explores truth and gender equality in a period driven by progression and the first wave of feminism. Contrastingly, Albee attempts to confront his audience through satirical dialogue and bombastic characters. Although Albee also explores truth and gender equality, the difference in context allows him to examine the way in which these values have been discarded in the moral decline masked by the American Dream. When paralleled, it is evident that both texts reflect the differences of their context. Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own digs beneath the veneer of social progress to expose the patriarchal values entrenched in society. Woolf first establishes the subjectivity of truth, so that the readers draw their own conclusion as “they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker.” By making them conscious on the subjectivity of truth, Woolf is forcing the reader to draw their own conclusions on what is logical, rather than accepting the patriarchal beliefs of their context. The anecdotal evidence of the fictitious Mary Seaton’s experience at the British Museum exposes the illusion of male superiority...
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...behind. Ruth came from German-American parents, Kate Schamberger-Ruth and George Herman Ruth, Sr. His parents owned a succession of saloons (bars) and sold lightning rods. Babe Ruth was one of seven children; however only two of the seven children survived infancy, Ruth and his sister, Marnie. At the age of seven, Ruth’s father signed custody of his son over to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, an orphanage ran by catholic missionaries. Ruth would only get to see his family on special occasions and holidays, however his mother died from tuberculosis when Babe was a teenager. Brother Matthias Boutlier of the orphanage became Ruth’s father figure in life; teaching him how to read, write, and most importantly, introducing Ruth to the sport of baseball. Brother Matthias helped Ruth to work on his hitting, running, and pitching. In 1913, Ruth’s talent and abilities at baseball were noticed by scout, Joe Engel, who brought Ruth to the attention of Jack Dunn, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles (who at the time were a minor league baseball team). In 1914, Jack Dunn signed Ruth to the Baltimore Oriels for only $250 (less than $6000 in today’s standards). In 1914, the age of majority was 21, not 18 like it is today. Therefore, Jack Dunn legally adopted the 19-year-old Ruth. Due to his young age, Ruth was nicknamed “Jack Dunn’s baby”. The...
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...The Harlem Renaissance From 1920 until about 1930 an unprecedented outburst of activity among African-Americans occurred in all field of art. Beginning as a series of literary discussions in the lower Manhattan (Greenwich Village) and upper Manhattan (Harlem) sections of New York City, this African-American cultural movement became known as “The New Negro Movement’’ and later as the Harlem Renaissance. More than a literary movement and more than a social revolt against racism, the Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African- Americans and redefined African-Americans were encouraged to celebrate their heritage and to become “The New Negro,” a term coined in 1925 by sociologist and critic Alain LeRoy Locke. One of the factors contributing to the rise of the Harlem Renaissance was the great migration of African-Americans to northern cities (such as New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.) between 1919 and 1926. In his influential book The New Negro (1925), Locke described the northward migration of blacks as "something like a spiritual emancipation." One of the factors contributing to the rise of the Harlem Renaissance was the great migration of African-Americans to northern cities (such as New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.) between 1919 and 1926. In his influential book The New Negro (1925), Locke described the northward migration of blacks as "something like a spiritual emancipation." In the 1920's African-Americans seemed to have passed...
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...African Americans and their involvement in Olympic Swimming; Why are there so few African American swimmers? Marcos Mendez Georgia Southern University Abstract This paper explores the phenomena that we see in Olympic Swimming. Whites dominate this sport and African Americans hardly ever participate in this sport. This research paper explores why that is, by examining numerous sources. These sources were obtained using the internet. From the research conducted, their seem to be varying answers to this question. However the main ones are genetics and socioeconomic factors. Consequently, the genetic research is not a direct correlation to why African Americans don’t participate in swimming. Genetics only points out that differences in muscle composition, bone density, and buoyancy have some effect on a person’s ability to swim. The major cause for this goes into the past to segregation and economics. History of Olympic Swimming Swimming was learnt by prehistoric people in order to cross bodies of water. This can be proved in ancient egyptian paintings( 2011 Olympic. Org). Swimming did not truly become an organized sport until the early 19th century when British swimming clubs began to hold competitions. Swimming was added to the Olympic in 1896. History of African American Swimming Now lets look at African swimming. In 1451 when Europeans began exploring Africa. Europeans regarded Africans as “ The best swimmers in the world.” They attributed these swimming skills...
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...Football in America by Jeannie Ray SPM/210 - SOCIO-CULTURAL ELMNTS OF SPORT: PLAYING WELL W/OTHERS DR DION DALY August 6, 2011 Football In America American football has a long legacy in American History. It can be traced back centuries to early European cutures, influenced through the years by multiple people, changed the rules and has become a National phenomenon for Americans. American football is over 100 years old and still going strong. It has inspired songs, movies and motivated individuals to great heights in their careers and lives. American football originated with its earlier form of play that derived from a variation of the sport Rugby in 1892. There are mentions of Native Americans playing ball games but, modern American football originates in traditional ball games played at villages and schools in Europe dating many centuries before America was settled by Europeans. Reports of early settlers at Jamestown, Virginia playing games with inflated balls in the early 17th century have been noted in history also. American football is the result of several major divergences from its earlier form of rugby. The introduction of the line of scrimmage and down-and- distance are among the first major changes of the game Rugby to its conversion to American football by Walter Camp. Walter Camp is considered as the father of football. The changes that he incorporated into collegiate football became dominant in the United...
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...that professional sports teams are profit maximising businesses, but it is a widely held view in Europe that professional football clubs are not run on a profit maximising basis. This belief has important implications for the impact of policy measures such as income redistribution that are widely advocated. This paper looks at the performance of sixteen English football clubs that acquired a stock exchange listing in the mid 1990s. If the European story is true, we should have observed a shift toward profit maximising behaviour at these clubs. This paper finds no evidence of any shift in this direction. This result is consistent with the view that football clubs in England have been much more oriented toward profit objectives than is normally allowed. Keywords: economics of sport, objective functions JEL classification number: L21, L83 We thank to Dirk Nitzsche for assistance with data collection. We thank Peter Sloane and seminar participants at the CARR Outreach workshop on business history for helpful comments. “Those clubs which have floated to become public companies – Manchester United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Tottenham- now have as their principal objective the making of money for their shareholders.” -David Conn, The Football Business, p154. 1. Introduction In North America it is commonplace, especially among economists, to think of the owners of professional sports teams as profit maximisers...
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...important changes were the introduction of the line of scrimmage and of down-and-distance rules.[1][2][3] In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gameplay developments by college coaches such as Eddie Cochems, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Knute Rockne, and Glenn "Pop" Warner helped take advantage of the newly introduced forward pass. The popularity of college football grew as it became the dominant version of the sport in the United States for the first half of the 20th century. Bowl games, a college football tradition, attracted a national audience for college teams. Boosted by fierce rivalries, college football still holds widespread appeal in the US. The origin of professional football can be traced back to 1892, with William "Pudge" Heffelfinger's $500 contract to play in a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. This league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) two years later, and eventually became the major league of American football. Primarily a sport of Midwestern industrial towns in the United States, professional football eventually became a national phenomenon. Football's increasing popularity is usually traced to the 1958 NFL Championship Game, a contest that has been dubbed the "Greatest Game Ever Played". A rival league to the NFL, the American Football League (AFL), began play in...
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...Girardeau, Missouri with approx. 3,000 square feet of retail space dedicated to golf clubs, golf clothing or other golf equipment essential for the avid Missouri golfer. There are also a public and private golf courses in Cape Girardeau, which shows a market for golf not only in the city but the surrounding area. The history of golf’s built environment in the U.S. has reflected the changing face of the game in terms of the number and type of golf courses built, as well as the demographic profile of those playing the game. Since 2000, the golf industry has experienced significant declines in the key barometers of its economic wellbeing as defined by: the decline in the number of golfers and rounds played and the decrease in the number of golf courses. During the 20th century, there were three “boom” periods of accelerated golf course development that peaked in 1930, 1970 and 2000. The first boom in the 1920s built private golf courses for the upper class. The second boom in the 1960s built public golf courses for the burgeoning middle class. And, the third boom in the 1990s built golf courses in anticipation of the latent demand from the huge “Baby Boomer” generation who were expected to play more often as they aged, entered the prime of their working lives and later retired. The third boom was anticipatory in nature and driven more by the real estate speculation on the part of both the real estate developers and...
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...Chevrolet: 100 Years of Product Innovation* Synopsis: This case examines Chevrolet's history of product innovation, branding strategy, and successful product mix in connection with its relationship to parent General Motors and its rivalry with Ford. Chevrolet has a long history of success in developing and marketing cars, trucks, and SUVs that are practical, sporty, and affordable. The brand's relationship with General Motors is both a strength and a weakness, especially in the aftermath of the federal government's financial bailout of General Motors in 2008. Government demands for improved fuel economy and ever changing customer needs and preferences will be constant challenges as Chevrolet looks toward its next 100 years. Themes: Product innovation, product mix, branding, product strategy, competition, corporate reputation, evolving technology, customer loyalty, government regulation, international marketing General Motor's (GM) Chevrolet brand celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011. Throughout its history, Chevrolet has launched many different vehicle models, some of them widely successful and others deleted from the product mix shortly after introduction. Over the years, the company has transitioned from an American icon into a worldwide brand known for quality and durability. Despite numerous successes and failures in its history, including the recent bankruptcy and bailout of parent company GM, Chevrolet is still going strong after a century of product innovation...
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...no risk. In many Ponzi schemes, the fraudsters focus on attracting new money to make promised payments to earlier-stage investors and to use for personal expenses, instead of engaging in any legal investment activity. The system is destined to collapse because the earnings are less than the payments to investors. Ponzi schemes tend to collapse when it becomes difficult to recruit new investors or when a large number of investors ask to cash out. As more investors become involved, the likelihood of the scheme coming to the attention of authorities increases. The system eventually will collapse under its own weight. The scheme is named for Charles Ponzi, who became well known for his illegal techniques for using the Ponzi method in early 1920. He had emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1903. His operation took in so much money that it was the first to become known throughout the United States. His original scheme was in theory based on arbitraging international reply coupons for postage stamps, but soon diverted investors' money to support payments to earlier investors and Ponzi's personal wealth. At that time when the annual interest rate for bank accounts was five percent, Ponzi promised investors that he could provide a 50% return in just 90 days. A hypothetical example of a Ponzi scheme would be, if an advertisement is placed which promises unusual returns of investment, it will usually attract inexperienced investors. The goal is actually to trick investors who...
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...to die to live in this uncertain utopia after living morally on earth? Many argue that with the right combination of certain social and economical policies, we actually don’t have to wait till afterlife to live in an ideal society. This paper will present the classic theories and contemporary arguments circulating the essential elements of societies and from these arguments, construing what elements are most important that could be used to create an ideal society. In order to part away from the religious view that heaven can only exist in the hereafter, we try to establish a scientific explanation of how we as human beings have come to existence through the process of evolution. This theory appeals significantly to us for at least two reasons. First, it gives some of us who aren’t as religious a more satisfying validation of our origin and our destination. This view opposes Max Weber’s description of a Calvinist who always suffers great inner loneliness due to his ambiguous predestined fate. Second, the theory of evolution is in alignment with our positive and pre-established perception of progress and improvement. In his book An Inquiry into the Nature of Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776), Adam Smith illustrates in details how to achieve progress and improvement in production through the concept of division of labor. Smith states that the division of labor not only improves how we are manufacturing goods but also creates interdependent relationships among all societal members...
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...History Of Converse In 1908, Converse began as a rubber shoe company specializing in tennis shoes, rubber boots and automobile tires. The All Star shoe was created in 1917 as a specialized basketball shoe. It was competing with A.G. Spalding, U.S. Rubber, and Goodrich. Spalding invented the basketball as we know it today, and the basketball shoe, which included a rubber sole for traction. Previously, athletes competed in a high top shoe with a leather sole. At this time, the sport of basketball was still primitive and lacked the national prominence it has today. In 1921, Converse brought on Charles “Chuck” H. Taylor as a traveling sales representative to help promote the brand. Chuck was previously a professional basketball player who was looking for an off-season job. He was brought on as an athlete to help improve the shoe. Chuck made design changes for traction and added the ankle patch for extra support. He later went across the nation putting on basketball clinics to teach children the sport of basketball. While on these tours, Chuck would...
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