Sports and Public Relations Essay Example

Sports and Public Relations Essay This article notes how much a person should give importance to the contracts that he signs for. Michael Vick has primarily lost his reputation through a gradual process by which he has been loosing track of his career and has been loosing all that he has worked hard for to different vices and wrong decisions. The concentration that he once placed upon his career has been re-aligned to the things that he wanted to do.   It could be observed that through the different decisions that he has lately done, he was not able to control the consequences of what he has done that it gradually destroyed his name and the fame that he has been under for several years of playing for the Falcons.Along with loosing his fame and the reputation that he has earned in sports, he has also lost the chances that he had in enjoying financial freedom. It could not be denied that through the path that he has taken, the numerous cases brought about the consequences of his decisions has made him loose tons of c hances that she once enjoyed. This sends a strong message to the society with regards the importance of staying within the rules of the contracts that they have sworn upon to fulfill. The terms of the said contracts need to be respected thus treated as a law that binds the people involved in the said agreement. The implication of the case upon the society has naturally made it certain that the effect of Michael Vick upon those people who were actually treating him as a model, especially that of the young children has been gradually diminishing as well.Article 2: Is Michael Vick friendly to a fault?. DAVE FORSTER, BILL BURKE AND KYLE TUCKER. May 26, 2007. The Virginian-Pilot. http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/print.cfm?story=125491ran=117073.The friends of Michael Vick and their background have led commentators to a conclusion that he too is simply just like those of his friends. True, the saying on â€Å"tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are† is inde ed proven true in this side of Vick’s case. Undeniably, the process by which Vick got into trouble could be connected with who he usually hanged-out with. The people that he usually stayed with were notably involved in drug addiction. This particular fact heightened the situation of the case of Vick with regards drug addiction. Vick is known as loyal friend. However, at this point, his loyalty has caused him several damages to his own self. The trust that he has placed upon his friends and the loyalty that he has served unto them actually made it possible for him to get directly involved with what they were particularly up to. Undeniably, the situation has changed his life and the reputation that he has been taking care of.Article 3: NFL suspends Vick indefinitely. EDT, Fri August 24, 2007. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/08/24/michael.vick/index.html.Loosing a good player on the field is such a great loss for NFL Falcon team. This is probably the reason why the suspension for Vick has been reported with an indefinite span of time. Not suspending him when he was found with fault would have been a great jeopardy on the part of the team’s established name in the industry. Undeniably, they would be compromising the status and the morals as well as the standards of the entire team if they did not make any move when he was pronounced guilty by the court.Understandably, the issue here is all about dignity and reputation. Falcons needed to suspend even one of its strongest and best players for the sake of taking care of the name of the other players and the entire team itself. It has been the best move on the part of the team’s administration to retain the standards of the entire team in front of its internal and external connections as well.Article 4: MICHAEL VICKS OF NFL’s CASE ON SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE. The smoking gun: Archive. Woman claims star NFL quarterback passed along herpes in 2003. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0405 051vick1.html.It was December when the plaintiff, Sona Elliot filed a case against NFL’s [a football team] Quarterback player Michael Vick. Allegedly, the plaintiff accuses Vick of using an alias when he first made himself known to Elliot. Moreover, he has also been noted for having been allegedly passing a Sexually transmitted disease to the plaintiff, thus causing her to suffer the consequences of having been able to commit sexual intercourse with Vick. The plaintiff, being young and just starting to recognize the happiness living is now robbed of from even being able to have a peaceful relationship with a man in marriage or even bearing a child. Psychologically, these situations are indeed hard to deal with on the part of the plaintiff.CounselDuring the years 200-2001, the plaintiff and the defendant had a close relationship, whereas they dated regularly, they see each other continuously and are thus able to discuss numerous personal details as part of their friendship. Ho wever, non of those occasions was that of them both having a sexual affair between each other until came the year 2001. Most likely, the confession of the fact that the defendant has an STD, should have been done earlier during the establishment of the relationship. This is basing from the given fact that the defendant was aware of his health situation.Key PeopleThe people primarily involved in the case are only the plaintiff [Sonya Elliot] and that of the defendant Michael Vick. They are the key individuals who have the sole right to defend their statements and testimonies about the situations that they have been both involved with so as to be able to clear names as well as to fix the situations between them, especially that of the plaintiff’s life as a young woman.Facts in the CaseIt has been certain through the presentation of the court that the plaintiff admitted having been involved in a serious relationship with the defendant during the years 2000-2001. However, during those years, she knew Michael Vick as that of Ron Mexico and not as his real name Michael Vick. Moreover, during those times of intimacy, Elliot understood that if there are any secrets, those things should have already been suspended between the two during those specific times when they were together. However, as obvious as it is, Vick failed to inform Elliot of the facts regarding his health situation and the STD that he has. On many occasions when they already started to have sexual intercourse, there were at most times when they both observed â€Å"safe sex† whereas the defendant used a condom upon the plaintiff’s request. However, during the afternoon of April 13. 2003, the defendant refused to use condom even though the plaintiff strongly requested for him to do so. After that particular intercourse, the plaintiff did not have any intercourse with any other man anymore, thus when she has been diagnosed of having been infected of Herpes after feeling pain and irri tability in her vagina, she was non the less sure that it was Vick who transmitted the disease to her. Upon tests and examinations, it has been proven to that Vick is a carrier of the STD virus.Federal IndictmentsThe venue of the court is noted to be rightful enough for hearing the case as the case happened in the same county thus allowing the prosecutors to have much competence of handling the said case being preceded.PleasThe plaintiff asks that the defendant be punished with his undoubtedly unguarded act that placed the life of the plaintiff in huge jeopardy. The bills for her healthcare had been much escalating and made it harder for her to survive city life. It has been moved then that the funding of those healthcare treatments in an aim of lessening the effects of herpes on the plaintiff be carried under the responsibility of the defendant.OpinionThere is nothing safer in safe sex than actually abstaining from it. Being unable to understand the real personality of a certain in dividual has naturally lead the plaintiff to falling short of notice of the fact and the possibilities that the defendant might do her with regards honesty and trust. In this case, obviously, one year or so of intimate relationship has been proven, not enough, for a person to know the reality behind a certain individual. Also, for those who are duly infected with STDs, it is their utmost responsibility to allow the people near them or are close to them in relationship with the fact that they are dealing with in their health situations. Most likely, it is in their hands on how the people they love could be well protected from what they are actually suffering from.Article 5: Vicks marketing deals fade into sunset: One of top NFL endorsers could disappear, like a magic act. TIM TUCKERThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Published on: 07/19/07. http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2007/07/18/vickbrand_0719.html.Endorsing is one of the major sources of profit in NFL indu stries. With Vick’s marketing charisma lost, the NFL industry is at least lost on several percentage of profit compared to other sport industries such as that of the basketball industries. From this article, the focus on the different aspects of seriousness of Vick’s case upon himself, his colleagues and the industry that he serves is presented well and with clarity.Obviously, the author wants to clearly point out how a wrong decision of one particular man could affect the entire group that he is with entirely. Most often than not, the impact is rather serious and strong. The constant importance given on the direct effect of the consequences that is made by an individual’s decision upon the values of others is featured strongly within this article.Article 6: The Involvement of Cheating in Sports: A Definition of what cheating is and how it directly affects the entire society today as it is related to sportsA recent symposium in the U.S. on ‘Sport and Ethic s’ centered on the growing problem of cheating. Cheating, delegates agreed, is due to competitive pressures. Professor J. Keating of George Williams College in Chicago said: â€Å"Most of the moral problems posed by athletics can be traced to one single source—its highly competitive nature.† He added: â€Å"Deceit, lying, and hypocrisy all too often do follow in the wake of an intense competitive spirit.† According to W. Sadler of New Jersey’s Bloomfield College, adverse results of competition do not end on the playing field. He observed: â€Å"Competition is corrupting our nation. They say sports prepare us for life. I say, ‘What kind of life? The highly competitive and ruthless kind?’† Yes, indeed, cheating has long been an issue within the world of sporting competitions. This has long been given attention by the officials who were further appointed to deal with them. However, it could be noticed that no matter how the situati on is aimed for control, the problem continues to increase in the field of sporting events around the world.Excitement over sports is a worldwide phenomenon. For example, recent news reports spoke of growing sports enthusiasm in China. The New York Times (Nov.  18, 1981) reported: â€Å"Tens of thousands of Chinese converged on that [Peking’s] vast downtown area last night for boisterous celebrations .  .  . The euphoria was over the Chinese women’s volleyball team, which defeated the United States .  .  . and Japan .  .  . to win its first world title.† Even the normally placid Chinese got excited about sports. Volleyball became front-page news in the Peking press. Another outstanding case of sports-generated excitement is the 1982 World Cup soccer finals to be played between 24 qualifying nations in Spain during the dates of June  13 to July  11, 1982. Over the last two years more than a hundred countries have competed for the privilege of be ing among the last 24 qualifying teams. Hundreds of millions of supporters worldwide follow these soccer games with avid interest. In Lagos, Nigeria, a large crowd packed the stadium eight hours before the kickoff between Nigeria and Algeria. Likewise huge crowds celebrated China’s soccer success in qualifying for the World Cup finals.One underlying factor in modern life is the humdrum existence that millions are forced to lead in our computer-controlled society. As a consequence many want to break out of the treadmill routine by entering the exciting world of sports fantasy. For the minority, fulfillment comes as a participant. For the majority, it comes as a spectator. But they all want excitement, and that results from uncertainty. In sports uncertainty is the key—who will win? Thus the crowds flock to sports events or stay glued to the TV.Money has become an overriding concern in sports. Greed rather than sportsmanship and fair play seem now to dominate sports. â⠂¬Å"The innocence of sports, sorry to report, completely vanished during the 1980s,† laments The Denver Post columnist Jay Mariotti. â€Å"They swagger into the ’90s as a monster force in our culture, an incredibly mammoth, multi-trillion-zillion-dollar industry (actually, $63.1 billion [thousand million], 22nd-largest in America) that sometimes is better described as a racket.† Last year 162 major league baseball players in the United States—more than 1 in 5 of them—made over one million dollars, with something over three million dollars being the peak salary. Now, a year later, over 120 players will be paid more than two million dollars, including 32 who will collect more than three million dollars, and at least one will be getting over five million dollars, from 1992 all the way through 1995! The quest for money and huge salaries has become common in other sports as well. Even in college sports, the emphasis is often on money. Winning coaches are handsomely rewarded, making as much as one million dollars a year in salary and endorsement fees. The schools whose football teams qualify for the year-end bowl games in the United States receive many millions of dollars—55  million in a recent year. â€Å"Football and basketball have to make money,† explains college president John Slaughter, â€Å"and they have to win to make money.† This results in a vicious cycle where winning becomes an obsession—with disastrous consequences.Since the jobs of professional ballplayers depend on winning, they often do practically anything to win. â€Å"It’s no longer a sport,† says former baseball star Rusty Staub. â€Å"It’s a vicious, physical business.† Cheating is pervasive. â€Å"If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying,† explains baseball outfielder Chili Davis. â€Å"You do what you can if you can get away with it,† New York Mets’ infielder Howard J ohnson says. Thus moral fiber is undermined, and this is a big problem in college sports as well. â€Å"Some coaches and athletic directors cheat,† admits Harold L.  Enarson, former president of Ohio State University, â€Å"while presidents and trustees look the other way.† In a recent year, 21 universities in the United States were penalized  by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for infractions, and 28 other universities were under investigation.No wonder the values of young players are ruined, which is another major problem with sports today. Drug use to enhance athletic performance is common, but getting an education often is not. A major study confirms that players on campuses with major athletic programs spend more time on playing their sport during the season than they do studying and attending class. A federal study also found that fewer than 1 in 5 players ever graduate at a third of American colleges and universities with major basketball progra ms for men. Even the few student athletes who eventually succeed in professional sports and draw good salaries all too often become tragic figures. They are unable to handle their  finances  and to face life realistically. Travis Williams who died this past February in homeless poverty at age 45 is but one example. In 1967, while playing with the Green Bay Packers  football  team, he set a still-standing U.S. professional football  record,  returning kickoffs an average of 41.1 yards [37.6  m]. He once noted that while in college â€Å"he never had to go to class. Just show up for practices and games.†Cheating in sports is usually co-includes the issues of drug addiction among athletes. STEROIDS! The very word cast a long scandalous shadow over the 1988 Olympic Games held in Seoul, Republic of Korea. A number of hope-filled athletes were suspended by the International Olympic Committee for the alleged use of the drug. The world’s fastest sprinter in the 1 00-meter final basked in the glory of his gold medal—but not for long. Tests taken after the race revealed steroid use. He lost his medal, and his world record. This, however, should not have taken the sports world by surprise. In the 1988 Winter Olympics at Calgary, Canada, an athlete was banned from the games after testing positive for steroid use. It is reported that at the prestigious World Class track-and-field meet in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1987, half of the 28 athletes scheduled to participate in the â€Å"power† events—shot put, hammer, javelin, and discus—did not show up after learning of steroid tests. At Caracas, Venezuela, in 1983, 15 athletes were barred from the Pan-American games for steroid use. The 1984 Olympics was not without its steroid shame as winners were stripped of medals. Almost every sport has a steroid scandal of its own—track and field, bodybuilding, weight lifting, and football, to name a few. More than 20 college foo tball players from a number of U.S. universities were barred from playing in the postseason bowl games because of steroid use. In the world of professional football, one famed 14-year NFL veteran was quoted as saying: â€Å"On some teams, between 75 and 90  percent of all athletes use steroids.† Reported the magazine Psychology Today: â€Å"Many of those .  .  . interviewed put steroid use among competitive body-builders at 100 percent.† Dr.  William N.  Taylor, a member of the U.S. Olympic Drug Control Program, warned that the use of these drugs has reached â€Å"epidemic proportions.† How far-reaching is this epidemic? Taylor noted that in addition to athletes, accountants and professors as well as unskilled workers and police officers abuse steroids. â€Å"It’s not a sports problem anymore,† he said, â€Å"it’s a social problem. And these users are playing with dynamite.† Anabolic steroids are powerful synthetic versions of the male hormone testosterone. Over the years steroids have been used clinically, and under careful supervision, as an aid in bringing on puberty that is delayed, in building up muscles withered by disease or surgery, and for the protection of blood cells during radiation or chemotherapy. For these and other physiological problems apparent to doctors, steroids have been a potent tool in the hands of the medical profession.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Olympics, the sports arena and everywhere else where the sports competitions are held have long been subjected to investigations of cheating. This growing dilemma of fraud among the sporting industries of the world today naturally affects the reputation that sporting events actually post among the audience that they target to influence for profitable causes.   To help retain the fine reputation of the sports industry, it is essential that the issue of cheating within the said field of recreation in the society needs to be swept clean. The authorit ies who are needed in the process are certainly aimed to fix the issue through efficient procedures of investigation to be applied on the issues of sport cheating and sport profit growth.Article 7: High School Sport and the Use of Performance-Enhancing Substances. Dodge, Tonya L ; Jaccard, James L (2006). The Effect of High School Sports Participation on the Use of Performance-Enhancing Substance in Young Adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Health 39. Pages 367-373. http://www.dopingjouren.se/pdf-filer/sdarticle.pdf.High School sports are determined to have beneficial influences to the sociological, physical and moral development of the young adults actively participating in life. Since, puberty or the High School stage of young adults are very much important and that it urges the physiological and physical aspect of the said individuals to become active and energetic, they need a beneficial aspect where to channel their aggressiveness and their new found dynamic vigor such as sports a ctivities. In addition, the said activity has been determined to significantly boost the personal morale and social skills of their participating individuals. Thus, sports activities are indeed beneficial to the development f young adults during their High School stage.However, an alarming social and cultural dilemma is rising in the society at the present concerning the role of sports in the lives of its young adult participants. The concept of sport participation as the main reason for inducing the use of performance-enhancing substances or drugs to actively participating young adults is becoming a widely accepted notion in the society. Thus, to answer and significantly determine the relationship between the concept of sport participation and performance-enhancing drugs, a scientific study has been conducted to establish a general conclusion for the said argument.To mainly determining a plausible correlation between the two concepts, the scientific study explored and evaluated the main ideas surrounding the two general social notions. In social and cultural aspect, the subject of sport participation is generally embedded with the traits and values of competition thus pushing the need for physical enhancements to cope up with the challenge. In this aspect, young adults who are actively participating on the said activities are seeking other alternative with less physical and time demands to avoid compromising their other aspects such as the social activities and educational pursuit. Due to which, sport participants  Ã‚   started to incorporate performance-enhancing substances and drugs such as anabolic steroids and others to enhance their physical output thus coping with the competitive nature of sport.In this aspect, the scientific study has implemented a sample survey to determine the scientific correlation between sport participation and the use of performance-enhancing substances with the young adults. Thus, it has been determined with the results they h ave gathered that usage of performance-enhancing substances in young adults are indeed relatively high for individuals who are actively participants of sports activities in their educational or social institutions. Another factor to be regarded in this subject is that social and cultural influences also affect the said correlation that the percentage of performance-enhancing substance in young adults are relatively higher in males compare to female. This idea is mainly because male activities are indeed more vigorous compare than that of the females. Thus, the usage of the said substances is determined by the demand incited by the activity itself and its social and cultural nature.Thus, the usage of performance-enhancing substance in relation to sport participation is indeed significantly substantial. Because of which, society especially the involved adults who have the responsibilities of monitoring these young adults should be well aware of the significance and substantial effects of this concept. They must closely discuss whether this action should be generally allowed or be forbidden as what its effects would be. It must always be prioritize that the main agenda of sport is to enhance the development of young adults in all aspects and not undermine their health and physical attributes by promoting usage of artificial substances to augment the active participation in this activity.Article 8: Lakers Versus Heats. (March 2007). http://nbasfinest.blogspot.com/2005/03/lakers-vs-heat-part-ii.html. (December 12, 2007).In the competitive world of the National Basketball Association (NBA), different teams representing their respective cities and states compete against each other to prove their dominance in the field of professional basketball. These teams are divided into two general categories namely the eastern conference and the western conference and within these groups are three subcategories representing the particular location of each team’s represent ed states or city. In each season of hard-brawling basketball competition rise one champion above all. This title is viewed and considered by both the league’s players, staff and the spectating fans to be the supreme title, which is becoming the best among the best professional basketball teams in the league.In the present season of the NBA league, attentions are focused on the two teams that are leading their own respective division, The Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Western conference and the Miami Heat in the Southeast Eastern League. Each of these teams have proven worthy of their place as they compete against other teams on either their hometown or on the road winning against many and losing to some. These teams have developed their own techniques and strategies to become formidable basketball teams and both have incorporated potential and talented players in their lineup. However in critical consideration, if ever these two teams will compete against each other, who will prove to be better and more skillful than the other? Is it the mature and experienced lineup of the Miami Heat or the young, fresh and energetic lineup of the Los Angeles Lakers?By considering each team’s player lineup and their match up against the other in terms of playing position, one can actually see a significantly discrepancy between the two. Consider first the centers of each team where the Miami heat already prove to be potentially better than the other through the action and experiences of Shaquille O’Neil and Alonzo Mourning against Kwane Brown and Bynum Andrew of the Lakers. For the power forward, the defense and offensive actions under the rim could be quite intense as Lamar Odom and Brian Cook of the Lakers takes on Udonis Haslem and Earl Barron of the Heat creating an intense competition. The same can be said in the shooting guard position as Maurice Evans and Kobe Bryant face off with Dwayne Wade, Jason Kapono and Eddie Jones of the Heat. The smal l forward position can be potentially dominated by the Heat as the improving performance of Dorrell Wright, James Posey and Antoine Walker could be more than equal for Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic of the Lakers. For the point guards, battle in this position can be significantly tipped to the Heat as Gary Payton and Jason Williams heads on with Smush Parker and Jordan Farmar in terms of experience and playing techniques. Thus, a critical comparison between the said two teams can potentially present the Miami Heat to be better than the Los Angeles Lakers winning them the rivalry between the two. Indeed, experience and playing techniques are significant elements to the competitive world of professional basketball aiding the potential success of the whole team. By considering the advantageous experience and professional level of the lineup of Miami Heat, one can actually say that the winning lever in their game against the Los Angeles Lakers is slightly pulled to their side.