“We do have a problem in baseball, and using steroids is not respecting the game.” - Ryne Sandberg

You hear about how famous athletes like Barry Bonds use and often abuse anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), but because of the publicity these drugs receive, many young athletes also get the idea that is is nothing more than a muscle building hormone. AAS is a synthetically produced variant of the male sex hormone testosterone, which are supposed to be legally prescribed by a doctor. They were meant to help treat patients with issues like delayed puberty, or diseases that may result in diminishing lean muscle mass, like cancer or AIDS.

“[Independent surveys estimate 1.5%-2% of Florida's high school athletes might be using steroids.] But against a student base of 215,000 athletes, it's kind of scary to think that possibly 4,000 are at risk out there, ... We don't want to see any youngster's life at risk.”

- John Stewart

Abusing these drugs comes from the constant need to be "bug" or be the best. Athletes are the main AAS abusers, but non-athletes are just as much culprits. Both parties are trying to enhance their performance or just attempting to have a more attractive physical appearance, but in the end are the possible and usual side affects really worth it? Although these drugs don't make you drowsy and lifeless like heroine, or make your heart race like cocaine, the side affects are just as bad as any other illegal drug out there, which is exactly why they are illegal unless prescribed for medical necessities. Steroids are being used by kids as young as 8th grade, it can start with a shopping trip to GNC and some body building protein shakes, where the thrive to look good begins. There is a huge difference between drinking a supposed performance enhancing drug, and injecting yourself with anabolic androgenic steroids. One is meant to be consumes and the other is simply NOT. Its becoming a problem in professional sports and that is rubbing off on its young fans. There needs to be severe consequences for those who are caught with these drugs. If there are in fact illegal, we need to see more than a slap on the wrist for offenders. The harsher the punishment, the less users and the less problems we will have. It is a way to cheat, and a way to harm your body and in the end the negative aspects of AAS will always out way the seemingly positive one, how great you look in the mirror.

“We have to make some radical move to get the attention of everyone. Cheaters can't win and steroids has put us in the position that it's OK to cheat.”

- Lou Brock

Thin to win

Sports like gymnastics and figure skating seem to be full of beauty and glamor to the viewing eye, but once you look backstage these sports have dangerous and devastating consequences. Severe outcomes such as repeatedly breaking bones and threatening and often fatal eating disorders are few ordeals that these young athletes must endure.
Gymnasts and figure skaters require flexibility, and as both men and women mature their flexibility often deteriorates. This is why these athletes often start at a very young age and continue to try and keep their bodies at the age and size as long as they are competing. Starting a heavy training schedule so early in development can add much more stress on ones joints, which can and will cause future problems. Common injuries for skaters consist of the knees and hips, while gymnasts struggle with fractures and sprains in their wrists, lumbar and ankles. Not only do these athletes have to struggle with these injuries repetitively but because of the need to be tiny, their growth rates are often slowed down which can create intense damage on their spinal cord. For young women, the slowing down of body development can also slow down and delay maturation, resulting in late menstrual cycles, which can be very harmful to their bodies and reproductive systems in the future. The need to be small "pixies" has become an overwhelming necessity in order to compete successfully. The lighter and shorter you are will affect your number of rotations or height in the air, or the final outcome and score of your event.
With this need to be small and young, repercussions arise, such as eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two common eating disorders that occur not just in these sports, but all over the world. Anorexia is the refusal to eat anything other then possible small portion vegetables or fruits and bulimia consists of defensive vomiting after eating large portions. Both disorders in the end will weaken the body and immune system and in the end the negative aftermath with out way the reasoning, to be thin. In a NCAA survey of collegiate athletes conducted in 1992 "93% of the programs reporting eating disorders were in women sports." This need to be thin, and this judging system that lowers self esteem and confidence will in the end ruin the lives of young inspiring, and passionate athletes. Behind all the sparkling outfits and fake smiles is a person who is fighting to be the best and make others proud while she/he is slowly killing themselves.

Strength in women

Women have played a huge role in sports, and helped ignite the idea for equality everywhere. Back in the Ancient Olympics, women couldn't even watch competitions let alone compete. It was the unwritten rule, that women were to cook, clean, and nurture their children but as time progressed so did equality. Modern Olympics began to show female competitors starting in 1900, although they had a limited number of events to compete in compared to men, being able to show off their ability and feed their passion was a start. Everyone seemed to be stuck on the fact that women simply weren't "made"for sports, that idea stayed rooted in many minds until the Title IX legislation surfaced. Title IX required colleges and universities to provide equal athletic opportunity for women,

"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance..."

—United States Code Section 20

Due to the rising crowd of women participating in sports after the passing of this legislation, the U.S consistently ranked among the top nations in Women's Olympic sports. This enormous modification in sports helped to create household names for women like Mary Lou Retton, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and many more.
As time advanced women began to show just what they could accomplish From the first women to swim the English Channel, Gertrude Ederle, who beat the times of every male swimmer before her; to the infamous Battle of the Sexes tournament between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973, where against all odds and despite all doubts, King came out on top. Women like these and many others help demonstrate the strength and athleticism of women and provided guidance to young girls everywhere. I'd like to say sexism has diminished, especially in sports but just as any other prejudice in the world, it still lingers. It has been a long and successful journey so far, and it will continue onward as women everywhere break records and astound crowds while fulfilling dreams and goals, making their way from women athletes to outstanding athletes, gender aside.

“Today we celebrate how far we've come. But we must also recommit ourselves to Title IX’s goal of equality in education, for too many school and education programs still drag their feet and lag behind in their responsibility to our young women and girls.” — President Bill Clinton on the 25th anniversary of Title IX

Tennessee's search for a new coach

Many see Bruce Pearl as the well rounded, successful men's basketball coach for the University of Tennessee, but recent news has shown a different side. Pearl led the Volunteers to their first number one ranking in 2008 and first NCAA tournament regional finals appearance in 2010, but due to culminating transgressions off the court, he was officially let go from his six seasons with the Volunteers. Pearl was charged by the NCAA with unethical conduct. The athletic director for Tennessee, Mike Hamilton helped make the decision to stay with Pearl and his staff upon receiving an NCAA letter of inquiry in September regarding issues with Pearl. Hamilton now states, "the cumulative effect of the evolution of the investigation combined with a number of more recent non-NCAA-related incidents have led to a belief that this staff cannot be viable at Tennessee in the future." Although Pearl is a well respected NCAA coach, they all learn the rules before entering this career and they should all have the rules tattooed in their brain as time progresses. For Pearl, unfortunately, the idea of rules faded and the consequences that coincide with his actions are now surfacing. Hopefully this will be an eye opener to any other coaches thinking about breaking the rules or attempting to pursue their career with unethical intentions. Sports is supposed to be fun and entertaining, and it will remain so as long as these guidelines written and enforced by the NCAA stay in stone.

NFL Lockout

If the NFL and the players union don't work out a deal by Friday, there is a possibility that the owners will lock out the players or the NFLPA may decertify and take its fight to court. Either way, the outcome of a scenario if an agreement is not met could be chaotic and could possibly wipe out all or some of the upcoming season. Looking past the worries of the rich players and the wealthier team owners, its the ones that go unnoticed that will suffer the most. On average there are 3,739 workers at each game, from ticket salesman to janitors and they would all be out jobs until this argument was settled. Its weird how the greed of the people in charge, is going to end up affecting the ones at lower level positions much more. Locations near stadiums will also suffer, hotels, restaurants, bars etc. will all lost out on that massive amount of revenue received during the NFL season. Not only will the local venues be hurt, but the local tax districts would as well. For example, in Foxborough, Massachusetts, revenue from the New England Patriots' stadium pays for big-ticket items such as buses, school computers, highway truck and fire engines.
If there was an NFL lockout, this would be a huge problems for everyone, including players, workers, fans. Although some of the negative aspects may seem minuscule to the NFL, to the people involved they are huge factors that may very well affect their lives. Hopefully in the next two days, the NFL and the players union open their eyes to the potential damage this could take on communities all over and in turn come to some sort of agreement that will work best for each other and everyone else involved.

Carmelo to the Big Apple!

Carmelo Anthony has always been a well known NBA star, but his usual colors consist of the shiny baby blue and yellow, which i personally loved. But recently those colors have shifted to a much darker blue and orange instead, and fans are going crazy about it. Carmelo made his debut with the NY Knicks last night against the Milwaukee Bucks with 27 points and 10 rebounds, helping his new found team defeat the Bucks 114-108 helping them improve to 29-26 in the season.
Other then the positive impact he may have on the teams ability to win, he's also bringing in the cash flow! Just like when Lebron went to Miami, you had many people who all of a sudden became Heat fans, that is just the same when it comes to Carmelo, but maybe even more so. Carmelo's #7 jersey sold out before tip off yesterday, its an honor to be a NY Knicks fan now, knowing you have an All Star forward to help out the team. I often switch back to ESPN every once in a while to catch the scoop, and this talk about Carmelo is a never ending conversation. This was a great start for Carmelo and its really great news that on his first night playing for the new team, he did great and didn't let his team or his fans down.
I am definitely happy to be a New Yorker and I am looking forward to watching them play once I am home, this is a great opportunity for them and I'm looking forward to what they can now accomplish, and I'm sure everyone else is waiting in anticipation as well.

Citif Field would be a dream

Recently I received an email regarding openings for internships for the NY Mets. There were a few openings, one being part of the Pepsi Party Patrol, another being part of the Fan Fest Staff, and another that would be held in the NYC Office of the Commissioner, which consists of challenging project assignments, information sessions hosted by MLB senior management, and various other events organized by the recruitment team. This would be an enormous opportunity for me to get a step ahead of the game, I would be doing this on my own time and not through the school. Although my experience is limited, I can add my recent work with the Special Olympics to my resume and having a minor in Sport Management and a major in Communications; public relations and advertising; I know my application won't simply be tossed to the side. I am very excited to hear back and even if things don't work out, then its just a sign for me that I need to work harder and get more experience on my belt before attempting to jump the gun. I need to continue searching for summer openings, the more I try, the more opportunities will arise.

Heating up!

I interviewed Lori-Anne Diaz who is the director of marketing communications for Miami Heat of the NBA.

What part of your college experience best prepared you for your career?

Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with what I learned in the classroom. I went away to college in a small town in North Carolina. Miami is my hometown so the entire exercise of moving away to attend college was a culture shock and a lesson in how to become an independent and balanced human being. Being away from home meant I had the freedom to make my own decisions and the elbow room to make my own mistakes. I had to learn to balance my studies, extra-curricular activities and a social life—essentially a crash course in the art of multi-tasking. It has served me well in my career, which demands never-ending multi-tasking.

What did you major in?

English (under grad); Liberal Arts (graduate)

I am majoring in Public relations and advertising, not Sports Management like some of my peers; do you think this will give me a disadvantage in a future in sports?

You can’t go wrong with a degree in public relations, advertising or the other majors usually tied into these areas, marketing and communications. And the reason you can’t go wrong is that public relations and advertising give you a broader perspective and skill set, in my opinion, and are very useful, transferable and highly marketable majors in case you decide sports isn’t your cup of tea.

How did you first get your job?

My first job in professional sports was as a marketing assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers back in 1998, the year of the lockout. I had no previous experience in sports, only in marketing, but those marketing skills made the transition a smooth one because marketing principles are generally the same for every business. Believe it or not, I answered a classified ad that the Clippers had placed in the Los Angeles Times. They interviewed candidates as a group—which was unusual, I thought, and intimidating because your competition was literally seated next to you vying for the same position. I almost walked away when I realized it was a group interview. Thank goodness I didn’t because the course of my professional history would have likely been altered!

Please give me a brief description of what exactly your job entails presently and possible skills a public relations profession entails.

On the PR side: Preparing press releases, pitching business related stories (about the business of basketball, not basketball, the sport) to media outlets, scheduling HEAT executives and talent for media interviews, maintaining a season-long promotional calendar, manage all business related communications/messages for the Miami HEAT, feed promotional information to all communications channels within the Miami HEAT (broadcast television & radio broadcast, HEAT.com, social media, game day program, in-arena messaging, database marketing, season ticket services communications). On the advertising side: manage trade relationships with various advertising outlets, manage relationship with our advertising agency, manage advertising campaigns and messages, purchase media placements, cross promote with local radio and TV stations. This is just a sampling. There are too many duties to list!

What skills does your company look for in entry-level positions?

Professionalism, hunger, curiosity, humility, and ambition.

What actions should I take now to prepare myself for a career in the sport industry?

Intern with a sports team if possible to determine if it’s truly the career path for you. People tend to romanticize the industry and the truth is there are years of paying your dues before you have the opportunity to climb the ladder. You work tirelessly often having to sacrifice evenings, weekends and even holidays because of your job. The pay is notoriously low. Know and understand these realities so there are no surprises. Talk to people in the industry. Network with your peers and colleagues.

What publications would you suggest for reading to learn more about the profession?

For the broader PR industry, PR Week, Advertising Age. For sports business, the Sports Business Journal. But every PR professional should be dialed into what’s happening in their community/city, state, country and even what’s happening around the world.

Could you recommend anyone else that you believe I should contact?

I would also suggest you reach out to my counterparts in other leagues (the NFL, MLB, NHL, NCAA, etc.).

I hope this is helpful. Good luck!

Lorrie-Ann

This interview helped change my perspective entirely. I was so stressed about major and kept wondering if I should switch back to sports management even though my main passion is getting into public relations and advertising and hopefully be able to land a job in sports. She majored in English and Liberal Arts, which made me believe that the harder you work and the more perseverance you have towards your hopeful career, its possible. One of my absolute favorite answers she responded with was when I asked her what skills were required and she answered; “professionalism, hunger, curiosity, humility, and ambition. “ I though those were the most creative and thoughtful answers, unless she was asked that question before and had it rehearsed. Usually people would answer with “hard work” or “experience” but she answered with all skills that I currently have or can easily work on in the future. I am also relieved that she actually named specific materials I can read, I am passionate about my possible career choice but not so much experienced. I am more than willing to read up on these publications to get a better idea of what I am getting myself into and stuff I will need to know in the future, also the fact that she listed Sports Business Journal made me believe that the Sports Management department at Cortland is in the right direction. She has one of the hardest jobs with a very well publicized team, and to hear such great insight for her really opened my mind to new opportunities and boosted my confidence to not quit and continue to work hard for what I want.

Special Olympics: Winter games

On Saturday, I woke up at 6:30 in the morning, earliest I’ve been up in a long time and I made my way to The Oncenter in Syracuse. There were a lot of people wandering around, including athletes, parents, coaches and many other volunteers. A lot of the other people were volunteering to do score keeping, or keeping time, etc. But for me and the other Cortland students, we had an even better opportunity, and that was to pick ANY type of media we wanted to cover, and try it on our own. I chose photography because I thought it would be a good step in the door to possibly get my name out or at least a way to approach the athletes and coaches. I covered the snowshoe event, which I must way wasn’t the most exciting sport (and it was outside!), but it was slow paced which gave me time to take pictures and get possible statements from the athletes. I’m really happy that this was one of my first field experiences because all of the athletes were extremely nice and more than willing to sit down and have a conversation with me. They weren’t well known, or divas like other professional athletes may have been, but they still had incredible stories to tell. I had the option of doing print media, and I feel that next time I have an opportunity I will be more outgoing and willing to take risks, but this time around it was more of a trial run for me. I wanted to learn about what I am getting into, and how exciting it is to have an eye opening experience like this. I am a very shy person and it takes a lot for me to break out of my shell. For me to volunteer without asking one of my friends to come with me, or without backing out at the last second meant a lot to me and really boosted my confidence that if this is the industry I want to get into I need to loosen up and take chances like this. I learned a lot simply from watching the people around me, and taking my own initiative to walk up to people and ask to take a picture, or ask questions, or simply go places that only the “press” were allowed so I could try and get that good shot. All in all, it was a great experience and I would do it all over again. I really hope that more opportunities like this one come along so I can add more to my resume and continue to build up to my potential career when I am on my way out of Corltand.