Transcript The USA and Australia - socio

The USA and
American Football.
Mr. P. Leighton
St Mary’s 11-18 High School
Sport and Culture.
Today’s Session…
Look at American Football- why does this
sport suit the way of life in America?
 What is the “Frontier Spirit”?
 How have the Professionals helped the
collegiate and amateur game?

NFL across America…
American Football
American Football or “Grid Iron” is simply
known as Football- the most popular
spectator sport in America.
 Task- in groups of 2 or 3 make a poster/
info sheet to show your knowledge of
American Football…
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“Mobile Chess” or “a mixture of
brute force and science?”
Some History then…
The game developed in prestigious “Ivy
League” schools such as Yale, Harvard,
Princeton and Rutgers… Why?
 In the 1800 there were no set rules: they
were agreed before they played!
 It was so rough that it was banned by
University authorities for a while.
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The first game…
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Was played between Rutgers and Princeton in
the first Inter-collegiate game.
By 1900 the game had developed several
characteristics…
 Violent.
 Sensational.
 Hazardous.
 Success
based on Survival through physical force.
 In 1910 six players were killed before the rule
changes. Death wasn’t uncommon- very little
protective clothing worn at first.
Football and the USA…
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The characteristics shared
reflected society then and
now…
“The Frontier Spirit”
emerged…
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“To stand up to harsh
environments and situations
and succeed.”
"Football is like life, it
requires perseverance,
self-denial, hard work
sacrifice, dedication and
respect for authority.“
Vince Lombardi.
American Football and
Commercialism…
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Teams are either privately owned or public
companies (Chicago Bears Cartel/ Green Bay
Packers Foundation)
Teams are run as “franchises”
Competition for TV time inflates the cost of
franchises- which sometimes means that they
must relocate hundreds of miles away from their
traditional fans. i.e. Oakland Raiders.
Top players earn millions through contractswhere else does the money come from?
Continued…
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The NFL is split into 2
conferences the AFC and the
NFC- each having latitudinal
sections (N,S,E,W)
Commercial time at the Super
Bowl is BIG business… $2.6M
dollars for 30 seconds at last
count!
Half time shows have
included- Justin Timberlake,
Janet Jackson and the Rolling
Stones- big business and big
entertainment value for 12
mins!
The “Franchise” System in NFL.
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“Franchises” can be
bought and sold by
owners- it isn’t unknown
for owners to trade their
franchise names- why?
Teams which finish last
get first pick in the NFL
Draft- meaning they get
the option to take the top
talent or trade them on for
different players.
How is this reflective of
society?
The rising cost of a franchise…
Year
1920
Cost of a franchise
$100
1960
$2Million
1995
$150Million
2007
$600Million
American Football: Controversy.
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The game, historically
was racial in parts.
Integration was banned in
the NFL all the way up
until the mid-forties.
Quarterbacks were
always white, Receivers,
Running backs and
tackles were generally
black… why?
The first black
quarterback was Marlin
Briscoe in 1972.
The Collegiate System and the
NFL.
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NFL’s Main talent pool once was in serious danger of
becoming defunct.
Colleges were in serious debt and needed TV time to
help subsidize their spending.
They both had a problem to which a symbiotic solution
was needed…
The Pro’s agreed not to play on Saturday’s… allowing
the amateurs a share of TV coverage!
The amateurs continue to provide talent to be turned into
the mega-stars of the game- benefiting the owners!
Are there any “pro’s and con’s” to this arrangement?
Exam Style Questions…
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Take into account your prior knowledge on the
USA and American Football.
These two topics will form a key area and a base
for your knowledge when answering a question
on Commercialism, “The American Dream” or on
the “Win Ethic” that surrounds professional
sports.
With that in mind try the following exam
questions with your group (Green, Blue and
Yellow groups)
Review…
“Commercialism is the machine which
drives American sport” give reasons for
and against this statement (10).
 With reference to the ‘American
Dream’, ‘Commercialism’ and the
‘Lombardian Win Ethic’ explain sport in
the USA. (10)
 “American football is a game that reflects
American society” Critically analyse and
evaluate this statement (10).
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Key words from today…