Sports and race: more perception than reality

Combine sports and race and you get  one controversial topic, and an endless number of debates on the issues associated with that topic. Questions abound on what constitutes race, and people are left with an empty misconception derived from societal pressures. 

That is what I got out of the presentation given by Missouri sociology professor Scott Brooks to our SJI class Thursday.  

Race may well be little more than a social construct, but for my whole life I have identified as a black man. However, I know that the stereotypes involving my race don't define me. Sociologist Erving Goffman once said that there are roles people portray each day. The roles are like acting on a stage and it builds on what he calls the presentation of self.

Brooks outlined this point and brought it full circle in regards to sports. As a reporter, I could understand his message. He detailed how Serena Williams doesn’t have enough clout even though she is one of the tennis greats. Brooks said that athletes like Maria Sharapova get more fanfare because of their looks. This example stuck out to me because I understand the perception. There are certain things that athletes struggle to get acknowledgement for because of the color of their skin. It’s not right but it’s the way things are at this point. 

Brooks stressed that each of us should have a positive perception of who we are emotionally, physically, and mentally. In having this understanding, it allows us to see the world and others through a different lens. It’s not about who makes the headline but how and why the headline occurred. It’s about the background and the importance of someone’s environment. 

It's also what makes good journalism. 

--Jaylon Thompson

Class of 2015 says thank you

A big part of what we've heard this week are the connections we will make by week's end, whether it's with our classmates, speakers or mentors we've interacted with.

I already see that coming to fruition. First of all, the people spending their weeks (or even just a couple of hours) with us have sacrificed a considerable amount of their lives for our advancement as young journalists. I think I speak for all 12 of us that we are incredibly grateful for that.

Secondly, everyone has always finished each presentation with a closing line sounding like, "Here's how you can contact me .... ." As someone looking to break into the field, even having these people's contact information is beneficial.

Even more importantly, we've all formed some sort of rapport with 11 other aspiring journalists from all over the country. As we all hopefully advance through the field, I feel like the connections and friendships I've created with my classmates will be the most powerful and lasting.

I hope they feel the same way.

--Chris Bumbaca

Writing on race and sports: Cover the uncovered

Race is a touchy subject no matter what the context is. Sports and race combined can be particularly interesting. I’ve blogged about it and, as a result, have gotten not-so-nice comments. It was fascinating to hear what sociologist Scott Brooks had to say about the relationship between sports media and race.

He brought up questions and ideas that I’ve never really thought about before, such as what are the implications of media only looking at issues from a single lens? Or how there have been stories written that imply black athletes are dominating sports when in reality that only applies to basketball, football and track — and even then, the percentage of African Americans playing in the NBA has declined over the years.

Last summer I freelanced for a Japanese-American newspaper in Los Angeles, and that forced me to pay attention to Asians and sports. It was a subject that I had yet to tackle, but after writing stories and speaking to sources, it made me realize how important it is to cover and how little it is covered. To hear Brooks analyze everything from a researcher/academic point of view was refreshing. It inspired me to consider feature storylines from a more diverse set of angles.

--Alysha Tsuji

What’s real (sports as a prism), what’s not (racial divides)

“Race is not real” is something I’ve heard off and on throughout the years, but never something that was really explained in great detail to me. Scott Brooks (not the coaching Scott Brooks) came and spoke to SJI about race and culture, and how it all is interconnected with sports.

Brooks’ point was that we’re all living in a world that’s put up these elaborate constructs of who we are – black, white, male, female, poor, rich. All of those terms have come to mean something, but in reality, the truth is always somewhere in the middle. The human race began in Africa, so if we’re talking evolutionarily, we’re all of African descent. But people only reach back as far back into history as they want to, choosing when is the appropriate time period to focus on, and when it’s okay to say that someone is truly of “African descent.” They forget that we all are.

“Racial” groups, or at least what we think racial groups are, have been mixing for generations and generations, and none of it matters in the end. What Brooks really hammered home was that we have the opportunity to use sports as a prism to examine these issues, and to try to erase all these social constructs that truthfully mean absolutely nothing. I think that’s one of the most important things we’ve learned so far at SJI, and it’s something I hope to do in my career moving forward.

--Ashley Scoby

Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should

I realized today that Which Wich just isn’t for me. I go to a sandwich shop because there are people there who can make a better sandwich than me. Which Wich places the control in your hands, allowing you to choose what goes into your sandwich and then they make it. Today, following my instructions, the sandwich makers served me a Cordon Blue sandwich with pesto, blue cheese, red peppers, mushrooms and spinach (even now I get nauseous). Clearly, I’m not meant to be a sandwich chef. 

This can apply in other professions as well. Some people are journalists and some people are in their pajamas at home ranting, labeling themselves as “bloggers.” Darnell Mayberry, the OKC Thunder beat writer who spoke to us this week, is a blogging journalist. But does everybody who tweets an opinion hold that title? I don’t think so. The problem is that everyone now has the tools, whether they deserve them or not.

Just because you have Twitter and a laptop doesn’t mean you should write a story. Just because you can make any sandwich doesn’t mean you should!

--Zolan Kanno-Youngs

Inside KOMU-TV

Very few journalists see the broadcast outside of the newsroom. Yesterday I saw the other side: broadcast. KOMU-TV station was a great host to me and the SJI class giving us a tour of their newsroom, control room, and studio.

Yesterday I was able to see my first live news show from the control room and the studio. And they were two different ways to see the show.

From the control room, I got to see how hectic it can be when things don’t go as planned. Two minutes before the 6 p.m. news broadcast, one of the cameras was on the wrong highway. It was supposed to be showing traffic and you could her anxiety in her voice communicating to the camera man and floor director to make it aware. Fortunately, it did not implode and that was the only mishap in the broadcast.

At the first commercial break, we swapped positions and we had an opportunity to see the broadcast in the studio. That was vastly different than what I thought. That was because I wasn’t exactly sure how a studio looked.

First of all, KOMU has an extraordinary studio. It looked unbelievable and was it was really cool to see how everything ran from cues, to watching the floor director, to seeing how a weather report was done. At the conclusion of the newscast, I had the opportunity to even snap a picture at the sports desk.

This was an awesome opportunity because I had the chance to see what the broadcast side of journalism is and the behind the scenes things that happens. Doing this has given me a different outlook on broadcast and maybe want to do some broadcast things as well as writing.

-Wynston Wilcox

In praise (yes, praise) of sports check

While I’m sure this topic has already been the subject of many of my fellow classmates’ blogs, it would be an injustice to myself if I did not touch on the most dreaded topic here at SJI: sports check.

Before arriving in Columbia, I believed that I had the greatest depth of sports knowledge of any 22-year-old. And coming from a college where the students are seemingly indifferent to the world of sports, I may have.

However, after Greg and Sandy administered the first sports check, a quick quiz on daily and historical sports knowledge, I realized that my assumption was far from correct.

First of all, I know nothing about horse racing. I couldn’t list the order of the Triple Crown races — I struggled to even come up with their names — before two days ago. My knowledge of tennis was a little bit better, but that’s not saying much.

Sports checks have inspired to me to become a more well-versed fan. Wednesday morning I checked the post position for American Pharoah at the Belmont Stakes and the French Open bracket. I never thought I would say that.

The class may live in dread of the embarrassment that comes with looking at a poor score on a sports check, but they have been a blessing for me.

— Alex Nieves