Craig Sager Receiving the Jimmy V Award

In 2016, Craig Sager won the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYS. For those who don't know; the award recognizes legendary North Carolina State basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, and the battle he faced with cancer during that time. He became the awards raison d'être at the 1993 ESPYS, and during his acceptance speech he said "Don't give up...Don't ever give up!" These words are still impactful to this day; and shine a light on the image Jimmy left when he passed away two months later. Craig Sager, who was a popular American sports reporter since 1981, also faced a battle of his own when he got diagnosed with Leukemia in 2014. Even with his health issues and chemotherapy treatments, Sager continued to work the NBA playoff games; qualifying him as the perfect recipient for the Jimmy V award in 2016. If his work didn't show perseverance enough, it was his speech that truly displayed the qualities in which the award represents. During his whole speech, he only highlighted the positive outlooks on life. He stated how thankful he is for everyone who is a part of his life, how he is able to look at the glass as "half-full," and how he is excited to continue watching all the accomplishments the athletes make. In order to persevere, the most important thing for someone to understand is outlook, and Craig Sager knew exactly what outlook to have. He added that when he got diagnosed with Leukemia, his perception of time changed. He said, "Time is something that cannot be bought,  it can not be wagered with God, and it is not in endless supply. Time is simply how you live your life." I think what he meant by this is that people fail to realize that time isn't the issue; and that the issue is that people aren't valuing the time they are given. Everyone only has so much time to live for, and it's their choice to choose if they're going to use that time or not. I think perseverance is best shown by people who don't let time affect the way they choose to live their life, and I think Craig Sager did just that.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/07/craig-sager-espys-jimmy-v-award-speech

Carr and Shirky

Nicholas Carr's article "Is Google Making us Stupid" emphasizes the effect of media on our thinking and learning skills. He argues that this form of technology, specifically the internet takes away the aspect of clinical and cognitive concentration. Another author by the name of Clay Shirky responded to Carr's article in a negative way. Even though they both agree that media affects thoughts, Shirky believes the article doesn't focus on thinking or learning, but culture. He explains that the article focuses the effect of media on each generation. An example is when he says how many more people are reading these days due to more access of info compared to the generation of people reading in the 1970's. It is this type of media technology that impacts the ways we live our life.  

Stuart Scoot Espy speech 2014

  Stuart Scoot's a journalist from ESPN. Giving the espy award to a journalists presents that sports is not just about those stars and athletes, but the whole industry as well. Journalist is a great part of sports on how they broadcast and presents sports to all over the world. Those people has won our respect as well as the athletes, as did they for espy awards. They had became a great part of sports culture and contributed greatly to it. Stuart Scoot’s been doing amazing jobs on broadcasting all these years, even after he got a cancer—he chose to fight rather to bent. He still worked out a lot and worked hard on his program. He lived the best way a man can and had been positive on finding a way to regain healthy. He encouraged people all around the world a lot and his impact are still emerging. The event of he’s getting the award was selected as one of the greatest event in 2014 by google. In his speech, he’s still being humorous and positive. He mentioned “never give up” for many times. I think that’s really important value in our society. It emphasis on live the best we can and never give up, while working together on this with other people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOWM_VuxxQ0

Craig Sager's ESPY speech

Craig Sager was a NBA sports broadcaster for TNT, and TBS. If you have ever watched a primetime NBA game you would see a man in a bizarre colored blazer that would be interviewing players and coaches at the end of half, and the end of the game. He was diagnosed with leukemia in the fall of 2014. The ESPY award that he received was the Jimmy V Perseverance award. Cancer did not stop his love for the game of basketball, and broadcasting it. His "never give up" and "do what you love" mentality really inspired a lot of people including me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01BMPwDUO74

Sport Post

For our discussion of gender, sport, nationalism, and the rhetoric of sports. While you watch, think about how Jenner frames her experiences in terms of the language of sports. Can you connect the vocabulary and ideas presented in lecture to Jenner's speech? How does she seek to persuade and connect to her audience? Pay particular attention to the various aspects:

·      Sport as a common language

·      Sport as a diversion and escape

·      Sporting subcultural practices

·      Sport as a business 

·      Teamwork

·      Building character and confidence

·      Fairness (fair play, being a “good sport”)

·      Strategic planning

·      Maneuvering

·      Stratification of sports is decided in economic terms and therefore social status

·      Athletes are commodities

·      Encourages hard work to get ahead and achieve monetarily

·      Encourages conspicuous consumption

·      Is a vehicle to advertise goods and commodities

·      Embodies the rhetoric of winning or losing

·      Creates imagined opponents

·      It creates dramatic conflicts that are resolved, which people can vicariously live through

·      It acts as a cultural resource to connect to other people

·      Vicarious involvement  

     Ritual and pageantry

·      Fans take “sides”

·      Patriotism and nationalism is inflected into the practices of the game

·      Sport teams are (often) segregated in terms of gender

·      Sport is a site of common ground across ethnicities and cultures

·      Sport is a site of gender indoctrination

·      Athletes are often seen as role models

 

ESPY Speech of Caitlyn Jenner:


 http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/espy-awards-caitlyn-jenner-accepts-arthur-ashe-courage-32482615

Josh Sweeney 2015

In 2015 Josh Sweeney wins the first ever Pat Tillman Award for service and selflessness. Sweeney who has no legs below the waist was an Olympic Gold Medalist in 2014 during the Paralympics and Purple Heart Recipient. In 2009 he was deployed in Afghanistan, which is where he got injured. On October 28, 2009, he stepped on an IED which is what severed both of his legs, while injuring his left hand and arm. During his speech he recognized the many troops fighting for our country. Other nonprofit organizations like Operation Comfort, and Home for our Troops were also recognized by Sweeney during his speech. Those organizations help out people like him who have been injured while taking part in the war, so those types of organizations have a special place in his heart because he understands where the other troops are coming from.


http://www.espn.com/espys/2015/

Jim Valvano's Espy Speech

In 1993 Jim Valvano accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and gave one of the most impactful powerful speech's in the history of the Espy's. Valvano, who was fighting cancer at the time and used this speech to do two of the most powerful things that one can do in speech. He first inspired everyone with his advice of what one should do. He said that everyday people should do three things. They should laugh, they should think and they should cry. He talked about how everyone should live each day to the fullest and he would use whatever remaining days he has to enjoy his family and all the people around him. Finally he announced the creation of the Jimmy V foundation to raise money for cancer research. Cancer research was being severely under researched at the time. Since it's founding the Jimmy V foundation has raised over $170 million for Cancer research. This is the power that sports have. If Jim Valvano was a normal person, he and his foundation would never be able to have that kind of fundraising power, but he is a sports figure so he is able to do so


.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E&t=12s

Devon Still ESPY Speech

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still's daughter Leah was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma stage 4 cancer in June 2014. As a developing young player in the NFL, Devon took time away from the game to take care of his daughter and help raise awareness of her cancer. Starting without much money from transitioning to college to the NFL, Still didn't have the funds to help with everything funding Leah's treatment. The community behind the Bengals, jersey sales of Devon and other factions of the NFL helped contribute the funds to Leah's treatment. At the 2014 ESPYs Devon spoke on the perseverance of his daughter and how it felt at the time. Since this speech, Leah has been cleared of cancer and is going on two years cancer free. Devon has returned to the NFL and has bounced around teams. Yet, the struggle him and his daughter went through has been a defining part of his career.

Michael Sam ESPY Acceptance Speech

In 2014, Michael Sam received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYS. The award was in recognition of spending the vast majority of his collegiate career hiding his sexual orientation from his teammates, going onto be one of the top lineman in the Southeastern Conference. Prior to the draft, he came out, risking his stock and millions in the upcoming draft. He ultimately became the first openly gay man to ever be taken in the NFL draft. A shared cultural value that is prevalent in this speech is the fact that Michael rose above adversity. It makes these athletes, who we view as being almost divine, as being relate able and human. Throughout professional sports, there is a taboo to homosexuality, and Michael Sam, as an elite athlete who is openly gay, was able to break that taboo and was praised by many for it.

LeBron James ESPY Acceptance Speech

In 2016, LeBron James won the ESPY award for "Best Male Athlete." His speech was representative of several of the cultural values that we associate with sports and good sportsmanship. The first people he thanked in his speech were his teammates--implying that his success as "Best Male Athlete" was not a solo effort, but greatly depended on teamwork and the help of others, which is an ideal our culture greatly values and praises. Next, LeBron thanked his team for their "hard work and sacrifice." In American culture, an ideal is that if you work hard and make tough sacrifices, you will be successful and have good fortune. LeBron and his team exemplify this ideal--they worked hard physically and sacrificed time away from home and their families, and as a result became national champions. Furthermore, LeBron says that this is "...an unbelievable time for our city." Americans often express pride in their city or state by being a fan of their local sports teams--LeBron demonstrates this concept by stating that winning the championship has been a positive experience for the city of Cleveland as a whole--not just for him or his team.

2016 ESPY Awards

In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers received the ESPY award for best team and LeBron James gave an acceptance speech for the team. LeBron focused on the city of Cleveland and how despite their struggles of poverty and rough neighborhoods they are still able to "give a sense of hope" to their city. He emphasizes how this is not just true with sports, but with everything in life (specifically in Cleveland). LeBron ends the speech by saying that this award if for everyone in Cleveland. This city has suffered a lot of crime issues and many people have lost jobs over the years. LeBron aims to point out how this team, the Cavaliers, gives these citizens something to believe in, when they need some hope. It is not just a game or just a team for this city, it is a way of life. This lifestyle continues to give them faith and optimism for the city of Cleveland. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOxZWs9hSVc

Kobe Bryant's ESPY Speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZV6Ucm8toc

In this video, Kobe Bryant is accepting an ICON award at the ESPYs. During his acceptance speech he has a powerful message to all of the young athletes and young people in general. He wants all of the young people to have dreams and to follow them without giving up. In his speech he even quotes one of his high school teachers when he talks about not giving up on achieving those dreams.
Another cultural value that Kobe Bryant portrays in his acceptance speech is that it does not just take talent and ability to achieve a goal it takes a lot of time, effort, and hard work. So overall the message that he is trying to give is to the young people, saying that if they work hard and not give up they can achieve their dreams and do anything in life.

Abby Wambach's Espy Speech

In this video, Abby Wambach is accepting the ICON award alongside fellow top athletes Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant.  Wambach is the highest all time scorer for the national team and also has the record for most international goals scored than any female or male soccer player. Just her representing women and soccer by standing beside two of the biggest names in football and men's basketball, I think really gives female athletes hope for the future, which is what her speech was about. She may have only spoke for a minute, but she really brought people's attention to the problem of women not being treated equally in sport, and more importantly how far we've come in equality. Wambach said "We're willing to be true to ourselves and speak up when there's something to say, whether its about equitable pay or equal opportunity for female athletes, or any issue involving fairness and injustice".

Abby's Speech

Team Hoyt ESPY's Speech

https://youtu.be/_P4b44DZY6k

The ESPY's speech that I chose is the speech that Team Hoyt gave at the 2013 ESPY's after receiving the Jimmy V award for courage. The overall message of the speech is that people with disabilities need to be given equal opportunity to participate in athletics. I think it is particularly moving to hear Rick Hoyt deliver the speech through his voice box. Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father and son running team, the father pushing the son in his wheelchair. Rick was born with a severe form of Cerebral Palsy and doctors said he should be institutionalized. However, Dick Hoyt would never accept institutionalization for his son. One day his son asked if he could run in a marathon, to which Dick Hoyt replied, "Yes.". This is a story of a father's love for his child and how powerful that emotion can be. Their story is truly inspirational and I recommend watching the following video if you would like to find out more about the story behind Team Hoyt:

https://youtu.be/xBXy1EH4nYc

Espy lebron, carmelo, dwyane, and chris

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade are all superstars of the NBA. During the beginning of the 2016 ESPY awards, they delivered a speech about standing up to racism, police brutality, and injustice. This speech had a huge impact around the nation and many people had different reactions to it. Around the time of the speech, injustice against African Americans were at an all-time high. The culture started to sway against whites and races were being divided. What makes this speech so important is how the media used sports to relate to the subject. They used some of the most influential people in the world and biggest names in sports to talk about how to stand up to racism. They also talked about how we should help change the way we see racism and to protest it in a nonviolent way. By using the biggest names in sports to talk about the subject, our culture and society can relate to the change that needs to happen.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCjMvEdPi30

Comic Strip Analysis

 This satirical comic is displaying a play on words with its message “Don’t shoot!” As it’s being said by both the citizens and the cop. The Ferguson Shooting was a shot that was heard nationwide, that is of course once the media got a hold of the story. This comic is symbolizing how media is one of the most dominant cultural medium’s in our society, and the sway it has on has on how our society views everyday prevalent issues. The real world issues this comic is emphasizing is police brutality, and this ongoing movement of black lives matter. The media as shown in this comic resembles a very unemotionally attached by stander of the situation that’s happening between the cop and the citizens, while the cop and citizens are emotionally affected by the what’s going on. I think this is portraying that media is always going to display what’s going on in our society, especially since media is one of the major contributors to what makes American Pop Culture what it is today. However, it’s the people within this society that’ll ultimately judge what the reaction will be.