Blogging the News

As a sports fan, I can say that sometimes walking into a sporting goods store is a feeling similar to a child on Christmas morning. There’s nothing better than going to a place that is a full array of fanatic goods and apparel. Probably the most popular way a true sports fanatic represents their loyalty to favorite teams and players is through the purchase of jerseys. A sports fan can show their love of teams and players in an variety of ways but nothing beats impersonating by wearing a jersey.

Jerseys can be found for any player on any team. They are most popular across the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL leagues as they are the most popular sports within the United States. Dick’s Sporting Goods is one of the most popular destinations for fans to go as they offer a wide selection.

Leanna Silverio has been working in the sports retail industry for over 10 years now. She has currently been a store manager at Modell’s for 3 years after spending the previous 4 years at Dick’s. I recently was able to get some of her time and questioned her regarding procedures and practices. Especially when it came to the athletes that got into trouble and how the stores further reacted.

“We have to pull them off shelves” were the exact words she said when asked about the jerseys of those players. She then further went on to note how to company has a reputation to maintain just like the leagues do. “Customers are aware of what goes on and what happens” further meaning that selling player’s jersey in which has a bad image is also bad for business.

At Modell’s, the term Fan Zone refers to the fan apparel department of the store. According to Leanna it is the most popular part of the store and it is also responsible for a huge part of the stores earnings on a weekly basis. She further described how most customers come into Modell’s looking for jerseys and how it is the area of the store that experiences the most restocking. When asked about Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, I was told that all Modell’s stores were required to ship back jerseys of the aforementioned players. “They were both popular players, but their images were tarnished.

After the video leakage regarding the Ray Rice case, the Baltimore Ravens created a jersey exchange program in which a fan can turn in their Rice jerseys for another player on the Ravens. Regarding the Adrian Peterson case, Nike stopped the production of jerseys immediately following the news of child abuse. According to a report on CBS Sports, both of these players were in the top 30 for jersey sales for the 2013 season just a year ago.

https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/rightsports/

Being an athlete is a profession that can make you a ton of money. Not just from the salaries obtained by one’s respected organization, but from endorsement deals made on the side due to performance and popularity. These endorsements sometimes drastically outweigh the amount of money a player makes yearly. However once a player commits an act that is ethically or morally wrong, they will lose their endorsement deals.
The two most recent athletes who have been on top of scandals are Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. They were both top running backs in the NFL, but issues of domestic violence were revolving of them both which ultimately left them short of their endorsement deals.
Ray Rice- Vertimax, Nike, EA Sports
Adrian Peterson- Radisson Hotel deal with Minnesota Vikings, Nike, Wheaties

Before the 2 aforementioned, both Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods were athletes who were idolized and on top of the chain in their sports. But ethical issues were committed by them both causing them to lose out on millions of dollars. Armstrong had been found to be taking performance enhancing drugs, while Woods was involved in a marital scandal.

Lance Armstrong- Nike, Anheuser-Busch, Trek Bicycle Corp
Tiger Woods- Gillette, Gatorade, AT&T, Tag Heuer

Other prominent athletes who lost huge endorsement deals due to ethical issues are Barry Bonds, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Phelps. Billions of dollars were invested into these names and the deals had to be pulled. When an athlete commits an act of ethical or moral standard they not only sometimes lose their career they lose out on a ton of cash with their endorsements.

It is in the endorsers’ very best interest to pull their contracts with athletes. After all they can’t be represented by an individual who is a bad guy in the eyes on the public.

Being an athlete is a profession that can make you a ton of money. Not just from the salaries obtained by one’s respected organization, but from endorsement deals made on the side due to performance and popularity. These endorsements sometimes drastically outweigh the amount of money a player makes yearly. However once a player commits an act that is ethically or morally wrong, they will lose their endorsement deals.
The two most recent athletes who have been on top of scandals are Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. They were both top running backs in the NFL, but issues of domestic violence were revolving of them both which ultimately left them short of their endorsement deals.
Ray Rice- Vertimax, Nike, EA Sports
Adrian Peterson- Radisson Hotel deal with Minnesota Vikings, Nike, Wheaties

Before the 2 aforementioned, both Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods were athletes who were idolized and on top of the chain in their sports. But ethical issues were committed by them both causing them to lose out on millions of dollars. Armstrong had been found to be taking performance enhancing drugs, while Woods was involved in a marital scandal.

Lance Armstrong- Nike, Anheuser-Busch, Trek Bicycle Corp
Tiger Woods- Gillette, Gatorade, AT&T, Tag Heuer

Other prominent athletes who lost huge endorsement deals due to ethical issues are Barry Bonds, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Phelps. Billions of dollars were invested into these names and the deals had to be pulled. When an athlete commits an act of ethical or moral standard they not only sometimes lose their career they lose out on a ton of cash with their endorsements.

It is in the endorsers’ very best interest to pull their contracts with athletes. After all they can’t be represented by an individual who is a bad guy in the eyes on the public.

Sportsmanship or Talent? Analyzing the Percy Harvin trade for the sake of a team’s success.

With week 7 of the NFL season being out the door, the NFL’s midway point is quickly approaching. With that comes the NFL trade deadline on October 28, but 2 teams decided now was the right time for a change and made a deal just a few days ago.

This past Friday October 17^th, the New York Jets exchanged a conditional mid round draft pick with the Seattle Seahawks for the rights to Wide Receiver Percy Harvin. The talented offensive player will provide the Jets the help they need in scoring points, but the overall team chemistry of the Seahawks is sure to improve with Harvin’s departure due to documented off the field issues.

The term good sportsmanship can vary in meaning depending on the sport itself. But one mutual factor will always be respect. Respect for the game being played and respect for one’s teammates and even opponents can determine good sportsmanship. After being drafted in the 1^st round by the Minnesota Vikings in 2009, Harvin is now on his 3^rd team after being traded twice for similar reasons.

Coming out of college, Harvin was an extremely touted talent. He was one the leaders of the Florida Gators, and a BCS Championship winner in both 2006 and 2009. Career success came early as Harvin became the first Minnesota Viking to score a touchdown in each of his first 3 games, and the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year in 2009. Along with the accomplishments, however also came a problem with Harvin’s character. It was constantly reported and documented that Harvin was one to come into conflicts with teammates. With one of the most known being his bad mouthing of then quarterback Christian Ponder.

In 2013 the Vikings apparently had enough and traded Harvin the Vikings for 3 draft picks. His almost one and a half seasons in Seattle has been full of un-sportsmanship like conduct although.  A report from the Seattle times, stated how Harvin had gotten into fights with teammates. With the altercations being both physical and verbal. This kind of behavior can drastically hurt a team as its chemistry can severely downfall due to off the field matters.

The Jets on the other hand now have a wide receiver with more talent and potential than anyone else on their roster. Only time will tell if Harvin’s behavior will be good or bad. If he stays out of trouble the Jets may have made a steal of a deal, but now playing for New York the spotlight will be on and brighter than ever on Harvin.

Without a doubt, any fan of the sport can tell you Percy Harvin is a unique talent. But is his skill worth the problems. If one is to be a true part of a team they must cooperative and coordinate with their team.  Harvin has lacked this element thus far in his career. His time now on the Jets will truly define if he is a good NFL player or just a trouble maker attached to drama.

Sportsmanship or Talent? Analyzing the Percy Harvin trade for the sake of a team’s success.

With week 7 of the NFL season being out the door, the NFL’s midway point is quickly approaching. With that comes the NFL trade deadline on October 28, but 2 teams decided now was the right time for a change and made a deal just a few days ago.

This past Friday October 17^th, the New York Jets exchanged a conditional mid round draft pick with the Seattle Seahawks for the rights to Wide Receiver Percy Harvin. The talented offensive player will provide the Jets the help they need in scoring points, but the overall team chemistry of the Seahawks is sure to improve with Harvin’s departure due to documented off the field issues.

The term good sportsmanship can vary in meaning depending on the sport itself. But one mutual factor will always be respect. Respect for the game being played and respect for one’s teammates and even opponents can determine good sportsmanship. After being drafted in the 1^st round by the Minnesota Vikings in 2009, Harvin is now on his 3^rd team after being traded twice for similar reasons.

Coming out of college, Harvin was an extremely touted talent. He was one the leaders of the Florida Gators, and a BCS Championship winner in both 2006 and 2009. Career success came early as Harvin became the first Minnesota Viking to score a touchdown in each of his first 3 games, and the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year in 2009. Along with the accomplishments, however also came a problem with Harvin’s character. It was constantly reported and documented that Harvin was one to come into conflicts with teammates. With one of the most known being his bad mouthing of then quarterback Christian Ponder.

In 2013 the Vikings apparently had enough and traded Harvin the Vikings for 3 draft picks. His almost one and a half seasons in Seattle has been full of un-sportsmanship like conduct although.  A report from the Seattle times, stated how Harvin had gotten into fights with teammates. With the altercations being both physical and verbal. This kind of behavior can drastically hurt a team as its chemistry can severely downfall due to off the field matters.

The Jets on the other hand now have a wide receiver with more talent and potential than anyone else on their roster. Only time will tell if Harvin’s behavior will be good or bad. If he stays out of trouble the Jets may have made a steal of a deal, but now playing for New York the spotlight will be on and brighter than ever on Harvin.

Without a doubt, any fan of the sport can tell you Percy Harvin is a unique talent. But is his skill worth the problems. If one is to be a true part of a team they must cooperative and coordinate with their team.  Harvin has lacked this element thus far in his career. His time now on the Jets will truly define if he is a good NFL player or just a trouble maker attached to drama.

It seems as if the moment that TMZ released the second video relating to the Ray Rice case, the public was able to fully grasp the story.

 

Back in February of 2014, when the story first leaked it was destined for mainstream media attention and here we are EIGHT months later it still sits atop; with Rice’s hearing on his suspension appeal tentatively set for early November, as reported by NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

All in all sports is a reflection of the media, and the media is a reflection of society. Whatever happens in the sports world can have effects on everyone not just fans. After reviewing the timeline on the Ray Rice case provided by ESPN.COM, one can easily tell that the media was a crucial part of the story from the start, but the media can’t tell why some viewers to ignore the issue of domestic violence until actions were actually able to be seen.

When the story was first released it came with a video of Rice dragging his then fiancé out of the elevator. It was scripted that he assaulted her causing her to fall, but many chose to speculate and think otherwise. Not just the fans but even the Baltimore Ravens. The organization did not cut him at the time portraying the idea that they had forgave Rice and didn’t fully believe that he assaulted her. The fans and in essence the public took this as a sign that the incident wasn’t that big of a deal and decided to cheer on Ray Rice during practice and preseason.

However once the second video was released and the public was able to see the actual left hook that was delivered by Rice; their opinions quickly shifted. There was a complete uproar that day whether it was by the news stations or social media, everyone was in complete shock and disbelief. It was as if they never read the story in which practically worded out the actions seen in the video.

The power of the media was shown here to a full extent. A video of the most popular story at the time had surfaced and now all of sudden everyone was able to understand it. Most importantly though, the media here was able to bring the ethical issue of domestic violence to light. The people now were so interested in the issue and they called for actions to prevent it. Particularly in the NFL, when the media caused for the public to want the league to deliver more harsh punishments in reference to the issue.

The public’s perception of domestic violence was greatly influenced by the media. In this case it was a good thing as it created awareness and made a call for help. The media was able to define an issue that exists in everyday society and highlight it so that anyone can understand. The power of video is the main strength of the media and in the Ray Rice scenario, the influence created can help prevent fewer domestic violence acts.

(more…)

It seems as if the moment that TMZ released the second video relating to the Ray Rice case, the public was able to fully grasp the story.

 

Back in February of 2014, when the story first leaked it was destined for mainstream media attention and here we are EIGHT months later it still sits atop; with Rice’s hearing on his suspension appeal tentatively set for early November, as reported by NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

All in all sports is a reflection of the media, and the media is a reflection of society. Whatever happens in the sports world can have effects on everyone not just fans. After reviewing the timeline on the Ray Rice case provided by ESPN.COM, one can easily tell that the media was a crucial part of the story from the start, but the media can’t tell why some viewers to ignore the issue of domestic violence until actions were actually able to be seen.

When the story was first released it came with a video of Rice dragging his then fiancé out of the elevator. It was scripted that he assaulted her causing her to fall, but many chose to speculate and think otherwise. Not just the fans but even the Baltimore Ravens. The organization did not cut him at the time portraying the idea that they had forgave Rice and didn’t fully believe that he assaulted her. The fans and in essence the public took this as a sign that the incident wasn’t that big of a deal and decided to cheer on Ray Rice during practice and preseason.

However once the second video was released and the public was able to see the actual left hook that was delivered by Rice; their opinions quickly shifted. There was a complete uproar that day whether it was by the news stations or social media, everyone was in complete shock and disbelief. It was as if they never read the story in which practically worded out the actions seen in the video.

The power of the media was shown here to a full extent. A video of the most popular story at the time had surfaced and now all of sudden everyone was able to understand it. Most importantly though, the media here was able to bring the ethical issue of domestic violence to light. The people now were so interested in the issue and they called for actions to prevent it. Particularly in the NFL, when the media caused for the public to want the league to deliver more harsh punishments in reference to the issue.

The public’s perception of domestic violence was greatly influenced by the media. In this case it was a good thing as it created awareness and made a call for help. The media was able to define an issue that exists in everyday society and highlight it so that anyone can understand. The power of video is the main strength of the media and in the Ray Rice scenario, the influence created can help prevent fewer domestic violence acts.

(more…)

Mission Statement

Right Sports – Writing about Ethics in the World of Sports

Sports is entertainment. Sports is news. It is one of the biggest businesses in America, and it quite frankly could be the most popular field. Billions of people every day devote parts of their lives to sports. With an endless fan base, it is an area in which needs better coverage outside of the box score. The purpose of this blog would be to cover issues regarding sports in a perspective focusing on legal issues and moral principles.

The blog can be a place that fans go to read about sports without statistics. The features will take the biggest headlines and break it down to the average citizen. A Professional Athlete is one that many wish they can trade places with. By taking the issues regarding ethics and moral codes from some of the world’s most well-known individuals, a fan would be able to read to understand the economical and sociological effects caused by the acts their idols committed. The content will basically form a sporting news column, in which emphasizes away from games, winners and losers.

Stories will focus on headlines outside of the arena. Instead of analyzing what went on the courts, articles will be on issues being taken to court. This blog will provide readers with the opportunity to be informed about the violations being made by professional athletes, whether it be legal or moral. The blog posts’ will be simplified so any sports fanatic will be able to understand the issues going on. They will gain insight onto how the smallest of crimes can impact the largest parts of society.

Some of the biggest legal and ethical issues- include what is good sportsmanship? What can be considered cheating in sports, and why is it allowed? The matter of performance enhancing drugs and the impacts it has had both in the present and past. The economics of sports pertaining to high salaries, salary caps, and sales. And lastly the presently most headlined issue of domestic violence.

In order to provide the insight needed for creating such posts, professionals working in the field of sports and experts on  various topics will be sought after. Being located in the local New York City provides an advantage, as league offices for all of the Major Sports are within the city.  Also info can be obtained on basic law and moral principles by speaking to law professors. Advice from Psychology  professors can also assist when it comes to learning about issues such as domestic violence. Lastly, another source would be college athletes and coaches themselves. Being apart of the sports atmosphere already, they will be able to provide opinions on areas that very well relate to themselves.

The target audience will be to all fans, but in particular to adult males, within an age range of 18-35. This range is the common age of both professional athletes and their supporters. A 23 year old male will be able to read about another 23 year old who had the golden ticket, but then ruined his career by doing something dumb. Besides covering how violations impact media and society, the posts’ will provide insight comparisons to their target audiences in hopes that they can prevent doing similar ethically and morally wrong issues.

There is a need for this blog because traditionally Sports coverage is mainly on what went on during an event. As a society now, we are going through a lot of changes with sports being so popular. Kids from all backgrounds and ages, can tell you who their favorite stars are in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Most adults in fact have a favorite sports team or player in which they follow daily. Billions of dollars are spent every year on sports, and the truth is athletes are human beings too and they make mistakes. But the main difference is when they mess up it is brought to light and everyone is aware of it. This blog is needed because fans deserve the right to know what is right from wrong. They need to fully understand and grasp the impacts and effects, so that they can inform others especially the youth.

Content on this blog will be mainly features on what legal issues, ethical issues, and media laws were violated by someone or something pertaining to sports. This year alone there has been so many matters that have occurred and they simply get forgotten when another instance happens. The main intention of this blog is to take the violated principles and provide content that comprehends onto why these things should not take place in our society, nevertheless take place in front of the eyes of billions of viewers. Suggestion pieces can also be made to implement how to better our top sport organizations.

The fact that this blog will be based on law and codes, asides from facts itself will set this blog away from others. Most Sport Blogs cover team/player updates and news, this blog can take that news and comprehend it to society to create awareness. With sports being such a broad topic, it is necessary being informed about ethically issues going on.

News coverage regarding sports is something that can be found in practically every outlet. Whether it be newspapers or online, there will be content covering similar topics. Although the focus of many Sporting News sources isn’t ethics, there is articles published about this. Ethics is something in which should get its own coverage and this blog would be able to provide that.

The blog site- youkantbeserious.com, is one that is similar in idea. But it lacks content and updated info. The blog is created on the emphasis of controversy in sports, which in fact is related to the ethics of sports. Another similar blog is sportsethicist.com, and it is run by college professor. His blog seems to run on a similar basis in idea, but it too can go quite some time without updates. Every single day there is a sporting event, and almost every day an ethical issue can arise. This blog intents on staying on top of all of them whether it be too big or too small.

Editorial Plan

Types of Content:

-Headlines (Moral Alerts): These will be brief posts updating on daily events.

-At least twice daily

-Features (Bad Behaviors): These posts’ within the blog will all follow a consistent format. They will all be of similar length at about 5-10 paragraphs. The main focus of the blog would be to take the coverage of events within the sporting world, and highlight the issues relating to ethics that occur. Occasionally there will be some Q&A’s from the various interviewees, but the bulk of the content will depend on knowledge gained through different experts.

-1 to 2 weekly

-Web & Social Media Rehashed: These posts’ will be an analysis of what the internet is saying regarding relating issues in a multimedia format. They will contain a run-through of what the top news organizations are saying in their posts.

-1 to 2 weekly

-Real life Comparisons (Same Sneakers): These will be the lengthy features that detail an in-depth summary of moral/ethical issues in sports. The best part is that these articles will be focused on informing the reader on why the athlete wasn’t right. They will learn of the impacts left on society by the actions of what goes on regarding sports.

-Once a week

Frequency of a Post:

-Ideally I would like to post onto the blog daily with the headlines being a sort of a status update. Sporting events whether it be in America or the rest of the world take place every day. Almost daily there is an ethical issue that arises. For the main posts I feel like it would be a good idea to split them up half and half for the beginning and ends of the week. This way content will be fresh in a matter of days.

Creating a Post:

Headline: About a minute

Feature: Less than 2 hours

Web & Social Media Rehashed: 2-3 hours

Comparisons: 2-3 hours

Ideas:

. Sportsmanship

. Cheating

. Drugs

. Domestic Violence

. Economics

List of People to Interview:

– College Professors at Baruch College

. Law Department

. Psychology Department

– National Football League Compliance and Ethics Headline

. Provides assistance for ethical activities happening in the League

– Matthew Gould

.Vice President of Corporate Communications for MLB Advanced Media

– NFL/NBA League Office’s located in NYC

– College Coaches/ Athletes at St. Johns & Rutgers

– High School/ Little League Coaches

For my first blog topic, I was thinking with the holiday season approaching it might not be a bad idea to do something relating to shopping malls. I, myself live in Valley Stream, Long Island; therefore I would choose to cover throughout the Long Island area. I know right off the bat of 3 malls that currently going through changes so it would be nice to track and write about them for the web. With the holiday season, I would be able to capture shopping malls at its peak times as well as be able to speak to customers/consumers on how they feel on the upcoming changes will help them out.

With my second blog topic, I have an idea that is similar to Food Babe; but instead would relate it to food carts. Food carts are becoming very popular and are now popping up in almost all areas. I would go around trying to find out exactly what makes a particular food cart a well-known destination, and further try to get an insight on all of the ingredients and methods used to cook. With this I would also be able to speak to people currently buying food and I can ask them questions on the spot.