Sport & Society #1: Reflections on first class
Doing a blog for class
I am starting this blog entitled "Sport and Society" for those who are interested in doing a blog as a way to reflect on assigned readings and class discussions. If you have never kept a blog, it is not too difficult to start. There should be a link on this blog that says "Create blog." That will instruct you to put in your email address and a password, as well as a userid to access it through blogger.com (For those who decide to do a blog for class, please send your URL to me so I can check your entries.) Let me know if you would like to make your blog available to others in class, and if so, I will post your URL on this blog.
Reflections on class
Since we have not yet had an assigned reading, I wanted to write some things I have been thinking about in relation to class, in the hope that this will give you ideas of how you might want to start your blog for class. As mentioned in Monday's class, the first reading comes from a classic in Sociology, The sociological imagination, by C. Wright Mills (1959). Although this book was written almost 50 years ago, I am continually amazed by some of the relevant ideas that Mills conveyed. At the end of the book, Mills added an Appendix entitled "On intellectual craftmanship," and it contains some ideas that I think are useful to scholars, whether you are in grad school or a professor. Many of the ideas reiterate what Mills says earlier about the importance of seeing that our biographies intersect with historical conditions. For example, Mills (1959) indicates that most scholars "do not split their work from their lives" (p. 195). Furthermore, he adds that "scholarship is a choice of how to live as well as a choice of career" (p. 196). I don't know if this resonates with you, but it does with me. In class I talked about how excited I was to read ideas in Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics that related to what I had taught in tennis for so many years. I found that the scholarly literature confirmed what I had learned about teaching tennis in terms of the mechanics (e.g., the similarity of the serve to a throwing motion). When I took Sport Psychology courses, I realized that much of the Sport Psych literature related to how people were motivated in sport, and I was able to apply that knowledge to coaching teams that I was working with at the time.
Since I received my B.A. in Sociology, that literature has always spoken to me as well. I am sure I read Mills when I was an undergrad and yet, each time I read his work, I find that it continues to be relevant. To illustrate, I want to share two other passages from the Appendix that relate to what we will be talking about in Wednesday's class. In emphasizing the importance of understanding how our personal biographies intersect with history, Mills says this: "To say that you can 'have experience,' means, for one thing, that your past plays into and affects your present, and that it defines your capacity for future experience" (p. 196). He goes on to suggest that one way to be able to examine our experiences is to keep a journal. In so doing, Mills says that it provides a way to systematically reflect on our experiences.
I want to take Mill's ideas a step further by suggesting something that Laurel Richardson (a sociologist at OSU) says, and that is that we can write as a method of knowing. How many times have you sat down to write but you couldn't think of what you wanted to say? What Richardson suggests is that beginning to write is a way to begin to explore ideas, and we can actually grow through the process of writing. As a result, she concludes that writing can "nurture" us. That is what I hope the process of keeping a journal or a blog will enable you to do--to learn more about yourself and your place in society, and to be nurtured in the process of coming to this knowledge.
I hope this entry gives you an idea of how you might want to start a blog, and hopefully it inspires you to start one of your own. If you have any questions before class, you can email me (nspencr@bgsu.edu) and we will discuss this more in class tomorrow.
I am starting this blog entitled "Sport and Society" for those who are interested in doing a blog as a way to reflect on assigned readings and class discussions. If you have never kept a blog, it is not too difficult to start. There should be a link on this blog that says "Create blog." That will instruct you to put in your email address and a password, as well as a userid to access it through blogger.com (For those who decide to do a blog for class, please send your URL to me so I can check your entries.) Let me know if you would like to make your blog available to others in class, and if so, I will post your URL on this blog.
Reflections on class
Since we have not yet had an assigned reading, I wanted to write some things I have been thinking about in relation to class, in the hope that this will give you ideas of how you might want to start your blog for class. As mentioned in Monday's class, the first reading comes from a classic in Sociology, The sociological imagination, by C. Wright Mills (1959). Although this book was written almost 50 years ago, I am continually amazed by some of the relevant ideas that Mills conveyed. At the end of the book, Mills added an Appendix entitled "On intellectual craftmanship," and it contains some ideas that I think are useful to scholars, whether you are in grad school or a professor. Many of the ideas reiterate what Mills says earlier about the importance of seeing that our biographies intersect with historical conditions. For example, Mills (1959) indicates that most scholars "do not split their work from their lives" (p. 195). Furthermore, he adds that "scholarship is a choice of how to live as well as a choice of career" (p. 196). I don't know if this resonates with you, but it does with me. In class I talked about how excited I was to read ideas in Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics that related to what I had taught in tennis for so many years. I found that the scholarly literature confirmed what I had learned about teaching tennis in terms of the mechanics (e.g., the similarity of the serve to a throwing motion). When I took Sport Psychology courses, I realized that much of the Sport Psych literature related to how people were motivated in sport, and I was able to apply that knowledge to coaching teams that I was working with at the time.
Since I received my B.A. in Sociology, that literature has always spoken to me as well. I am sure I read Mills when I was an undergrad and yet, each time I read his work, I find that it continues to be relevant. To illustrate, I want to share two other passages from the Appendix that relate to what we will be talking about in Wednesday's class. In emphasizing the importance of understanding how our personal biographies intersect with history, Mills says this: "To say that you can 'have experience,' means, for one thing, that your past plays into and affects your present, and that it defines your capacity for future experience" (p. 196). He goes on to suggest that one way to be able to examine our experiences is to keep a journal. In so doing, Mills says that it provides a way to systematically reflect on our experiences.
I want to take Mill's ideas a step further by suggesting something that Laurel Richardson (a sociologist at OSU) says, and that is that we can write as a method of knowing. How many times have you sat down to write but you couldn't think of what you wanted to say? What Richardson suggests is that beginning to write is a way to begin to explore ideas, and we can actually grow through the process of writing. As a result, she concludes that writing can "nurture" us. That is what I hope the process of keeping a journal or a blog will enable you to do--to learn more about yourself and your place in society, and to be nurtured in the process of coming to this knowledge.
I hope this entry gives you an idea of how you might want to start a blog, and hopefully it inspires you to start one of your own. If you have any questions before class, you can email me (nspencr@bgsu.edu) and we will discuss this more in class tomorrow.
Comments
Jay Bilas introduced us and gave him the short rundown, but I'm not sure that Bob was paying much attention.
In terms of intimidation, I certainly would've been had we met him during the process while in Lubbock, especially during the season. However, now after hearing all of the stories from credible sources and seeing it first hand, I think he's just a miserable old man that has always treated most people poorly, and always will.
I really respect his accomplishments, winning 902 games and three national championships is incredible, and doing it without any NCAA sanctions is just as impressive, but in terms of character, I don't think very highly.
With regard to the book, we are going to do an updated version and try to improve it in a number of facets. It will be hardcover, get some further edits and some new inclusions. We're actually right in the middle of that process as we speak.
I woke early this morning up and watched the end of the Federer/Nadal match. I was really pulling for Roger, I was hoping he would be able to reestablish himself at the top of the mountain. But I hear that Nadal is a really good guy, so I wasn't too upset.
Oh, and I contacted Miss Long and was told that I was "unpaid" and therefore denied access. I'm a GA so I don't have anything to pay, and in talking to Faith Olson, she cleared things up and I'm good to go now. Thanks.
See you tomorrow. Andrew