Abstract
This is a persuasive paper that tackles the idea that sports has become simply a marketing agent and a business game rather than a sport that promotes competition, values and respect. The author argues that sport has recently been transformed to a commercial mechanism whereby the media promotes ideals of heroes and contribute to the ideals of falsity and corruption. Sports has become a commodity and a marketing tool and a money orientated idea. Includes an analysis of the statement by Tyler Cowen "we run the danger that commercially successful heroes induce dangerous forms of mimesis and fail to help citizens coordinate around noble ideas."

From the Paper
"Thesis: The marketing of sports has become a business where players make more money marketing the products than playing the game. Sports heroes are then, no longer promoting the ideals of competition and values, rather through the commercialization of the team and player they are contributing falsity to a society already chaotic. "

Tags:sport, monet, comodity, conumer, marketing, business, hero, social

Abstract
This paper presents arguments for and against the use of illegal substances by athletes in the sports arena. The writer takes the stand that the world is currently filled with enhancers of all sorts and that athletes should not be condemned for dragging this practice onto the sports field.

From the Paper
"Although there are rules against illegal substance use in sports you cannot criticize the guilty athletes too harshly. They may not have made the right choice but everyone makes mistakes. Before you turn your nose up at a guilty athlete and tattoo him as a 'cheater' maybe you should think about the last time you colored your hair, whitened your teeth, or popped that stimulant your doctor prescribed you to help you focus. Yes, there are big differences, but the bottom line is you cannot condemn an athlete for using something to improve his performance on the field when we are guilty of the same off the field. Athletes should not be criticized so harshly for using artificial substances to improve their performance when other people are guilty of the same."

Tags:athlete

Abstract
This short paper looks at the popularity of athletes in our present day society. The author argues that, through the media, athletes are seen as role models and therefore have a profound influence on impressionable children.

From the Paper
"An athlete is a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina. Since the beginning if the 20th century, athletes have become more and more recognizable in the public eye. They are seen as much more than just a person who plays sports. In fact, in today's world, athletes are among the highest paid professionals. "

Tags:sport, example

Abstract
This paper is an argumentative essay about the need for salary caps in Major league Baseball. The paper argues that salary caps are necessary in order survive as a profitable sport.

From the Paper
"There is obviously a problem in Major league Baseball and it needs to be fixed before the league goes belly up. While this sounds preposterous it is quite possible. In my mind the best solution would be a salary cap and revenue sharing. As a Padres fan I grow tired of seeing them place last or second to in the NL West. While I will still support them I won't be attending as many games (especially while in Iowa). Because of this they will lose money in ticket sales, with the effects of that trickling all the way down to revenue for broadcasting, leaving them in a financially precarious position. This is in danger of happening to many teams. Fans are going are growing tired and vexed at seeing their teams go nowhere in the post-season. Three competitive teams are not enough to keep a profitable fan base and more importantly profitable revenue."

Tags:baseball, broadcast, broadcasting, bud, cap, league, major, profit, revenue, salary, selig, sharing

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts Asian women in professional and competitive sports against American women that are engaged in the same sports. The author emphasizes the role of Chinese and American women in the Olympic games. He then demonstrates how the popular media in the United States tends to present female Asian athletes as being overly dedicated to their respective sports to the end goal of drug use or cheating, while female American athletes are presented as being dedicated but also are completely honest in all respects.

From the Paper
" The American and the Asian medias treat their own female athletes much as they would their male athletes, but it is evident that the American mainstream media tends to portray Asian women as athletes that are not really competitors but are instead almost monstrous. In articles from the 1998 Summer Games, for example, the allegations that the Chinese athletes were using drugs allowed the media to vilify these women. "

Tags:news, racism, report, reporting, society, sport, sports

Abstract
This paper discusses the current salaries of professional athletes and their impact on the sports world. The author examines how the skyrocketing salaries have affected experiences and perceptions of fans and negatively impacted professional sports.

From the Paper
"If you are planning on taking your family to a ball game, be sure to come with your favorite team's t-shirt, your camera and binoculars, and a fat wallet. That's right, be prepared to fork over the cash, because it will cost you upwards of over $250. Athlete salaries have drastically increased over the past couple decades. As these wages continue to mushroom to unprecedented heights, the cost of attending sporting events elevates to new plateaus of its own. In addition to increased ticket prices, which hurt the ability of many fans to go to games, exploding salaries have resulted in greed of players and owners and a lower quality of play in some areas. All of this has left a bad taste in the mouths of even the most die hard sports fans. If current trends continue, professional sports might lose what remains of its integrity and become just another industry where victory is auctioned off to the highest bidder."

Tags:baseball, basketball, football, contract, tickets, sales, mcgwire, sosa, yankee, stadium

Abstract
This paper examines how athletes as a collective group are becoming harder and harder to admire and how there are many factors contributing to the demise of the sports hero. It looks at how there are three main contributing factors to the destruction of the sports hero, the media portrayal of the athlete, the exploitation of the athlete's personal life and the monetary value and salary focus of today's athletes.

From the Paper
"It has been reported by Children Now that 90% of American boys watch televised sports. The media exploits this fact. Athletes and advertising agencies cater to a younger generation. There are athletes in movies, TV shows, and some even have produced albums. They endorse apparel, fast food, sports drinks and video games. Many marketed strictly to children and teenagers. These athletes therefore become familiar; they are everywhere and the child wishes to become just like the athlete that is so popular thus buying the products and the athlete becomes an instant hero. Many children do not know the specific stats of their sports hero, or even their greatest accomplishments. All they know is that they want to be like the player that they see everywhere as well as own the merchandise that they endorse."

Tags:athletes, endorsements, media, salaries, traditional

Abstract
The paper describes Roy Tarpley's professional basketball career with the Dallas Mavericks. The paper then identifies Tarpley's drug and alcohol problems that led to him to being permanently banned from the association. The paper discusses the labelling theory and primary and secondary deviance as theories that explain Tarpley's behavior. Finally, the paper looks at the argument that professional athletes can become icons and so they must behave accordingly.

From the Paper
"Roy Tarpley was born on the 28th of November 1964 in New York NY. At seven feet tall, Tarpley was the seventh pick in the 1986 NBA draft out of Michigan [1]. He started his professional basketball career with the Dallas Mavericks, playing as a center-forward [1]. In the five seasons that he played for the Mavericks, Tarpley averaged 12.6 points and 8.2 rebounds [3-4]. With a combination of great running, jumping, shooting, and rebounding skills [2], Tarpley was easily one of the best Maverick players ever. In 1988, just two years after starting his professional career, Tarpley was awarded the all-time NBA sixth man award [5]."

Tags:alcohol, drugs, social, deviance, athletes

Abstract
The paper examines a phenomena that it says is an epidemic amongst athletes - the use of performance enhancing drugs in order to improve their overall performance and results. The paper examines the issues surrounding drug usage and relates previous incidents to support the claim that this is an epidemic. The paper then looks at measures taken to combat this epidemic before concluding by presenting possible effects upon future athletes arising from attempts to eradicate the problem.

Table of Contents:
Professional Athletes Using Performance Enhancing Drugs
The Past Issues Surrounding Performance Enhancing Drugs
What Actions were Taken to Address the Issue
How this Could Have an Impact upon Athletes in the Future?
Conclusion.

From the Paper
"Over the last several years, the issue of performance enhancing drugs has been increasingly brought to the forefront. Part of the reason for this is because of revelations from a host of current former and professional athletes who admitted that they were using various performance enhancing drugs (during some of the most critical points of their career). A good example of this can be seen by looking no further, than Mark McGwire admitting that he used performance enhancing drugs during the 1998 season. This is when he would break Roger Maris's record of 61 single home runs in a regular season. Commenting about what took place McGwire would say, "I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era." ("McGwire Admits Steroid Use," 2010) This is significant, because it shows how throughout professional sport, a host of different athletes have begun using performance enhancing drugs on a regular basis. To fully understand the overall scope of the problem facing professional sports requires: examining the past issues surrounding performance enhancing drugs, what actions were taken to address the issue and how this could have an impact upon athletes in the future. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights as to the frequency of usage and how it impacting professional sports."

Tags:athletes, professional, research, testing, steroid, abuse, health, anabolic

Abstract
This paper explores the issues behind the 2004 NHL lockout. It is an unbiased essay providing viewpoints from both the owners and the players. It also looks at the effect the lockout will have on fans and the general sporting community.

From the Paper
"The National Hockey League's players are locked out and it seems that the 2004-05 season is in real jeopardy. It is a battle between the players and the owners, and a controversial question is who is responsible for the lockout? The owners, lead by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, are concerned with the rapid increase of player salaries and the subsequent loss of revenue. The players are represented by Bob Goodenow, the executive director of the NHL's Player's Association, and feel that they are not responsible for the current situation. It is the owners that have set their salary expectations. The athletes are willing to compromise on issues such as revenue sharing and initiate a luxury tax model; however, they are refusing to negotiate with the owner's about a salary cap. These conflicting sides have both contributed to the dire state of the game, but the owners and the players must also consider the impact the lockout will have on their fans and the sporting community."

Tags:athletes, community, economy, fans, hockey, negotiate, owners, players, salaries, sporting