Parting Thoughts

It seems like this semester has really flown by, but at the same time when I look at all of the topics we have covered in this class, I feel like it was more than just a few. Watching people give their blog presentations last week reminded me of just how many topics we covered over the course of the semester. There were many topics that I had heard about, like the incident at Indian Wells, and some that I hadn’t, like the controversy of Jordan’s Hall of Fame speech or Renee Richard’s sex change and subsequent media attention.

I think that the topics covered in this class have given me a better understanding of how sport and gender play a role in the socialization of our society. Many great strides in women’s rights have been made and made public through the vehicle or agency of sport. The same goes for human rights as they apply to race as well. Everyone can picture two black men with raised fists standing on the podium receiving their medals at Hitler’s Olympics. Everyone has heard of Title IX, and, love it or hate it, Title IX has had a huge impact on the way men and women play sports.

I think that keeping this blog has enabled me to share my thoughts and opinions in a way that I may not have been comfortable doing in class. When writing a blog, I can step back and think about exactly what I want to say, there are no time limits on writing a blog. You can take five minutes and jot down some thoughts, or you can do a little research and discover what it is that you really think, and how you want to present those thoughts to the class.

As much as I learned from the class itself, I have also learned a lot from writing my blogs. Personally, I don’t like to rehash what was already said in class. I prefer to look up something that is related to what we read or discussed, but is still new and interesting for people to read. I enjoyed looking up articles and stories that expanded on things we discussed in class, and I was amazed at how easy it usually was to find resources related to those topics. I never realized how big some of these issues were and how far-reaching their implications, until I started blogging about them.

I think that I will probably use blogging in my future, even if it is just to keep my own thoughts straight or to ensure that I am keeping up with the latest news and trends in my field. As an event planner, knowing about upcoming trends is critical to my future career, and I will try to find interesting and helpful blogs to follow.

Overall, I definitely think that blogging has helped me to stay informed about current events in sports, and it has also helped me to better articulate myself through writing. I enjoyed blogging, and I would recommend blogging to future SM 425 students.