Advertising Through Sports

The first ad features football players, both black and white, practicing and running in Under Armour clothing and footwear. The commercial focuses on the Under Armour gear more than anything, with most of the athletes saying an Under Armour phrase. Both races are used in this ad because with the different players playing football Under Armour wants to try to reach all races, not just one. Under Armour tries to focus more on the running with the cleats, so they used more black players to try to make people think they can run faster. Both races were used to sell this item because many different people watch sports, so Under Armour tries to reach out to everyone.

The second ad is an Adidas commercial featuring different races playing soccer. They are both younger and older players playing to show the audience that everyone can play. This ad is trying to reach out to other races, particularly ones that like to play soccer, to try to get them to buy Adidas shoes and equipment. Adidas knows that many people like to play soccer, therefore they show a different race of people, most likely overseas, playing hardcore and communicating well.

Advertising is not biased in any way. It tries to reach out to everyone and cover many of the things in the sports world. With the way media is today, they know what kind of people watches certain programing and they know when they watch it. Because of this media makes advertising especially for that time. For example, when a soccer match is on is when Adidas' commercials would most likely run. There is an advertisement out there for every person, every race. Sports ads are probably the least biased when it comes to advertising because there is so much it can cover for each particular sport.

Who cares if she can race... She's HOTT!

Its great to see that women have finally broken down the gender barriers and have shown men (and women) that they have what it takes to be successful in motorsports. But unfortunately, the media has used female drivers as a sex object to boost ticket sales in their respective racing series. The best/worst example of this is Danica Patrick. Until earlier this year, she has not won a single race, but yet is by far the most popular racer in Indy Car.
Maybe it could be photos like: that have made her popular? or maybe...

or....
Honestly I don't understand how a bunch of sexy pictures enhances your ability to drive a race car.

"And it’s been a long, long ride since she first got on the road. Patrick was usually tormented with “When are you going to win something?” questions and with comparisons with Anna Kournikova, the tennis player who never won anything but became famous for being good-looking."
( http://www.afterellen.com/blog/mariana/danica-patricks-historic-win)

Does...=??? Well not any more, because after her 50th career start she won the Japan 300 on April, 20th, 2008.

"Patrick is one of the Indy’s biggest stars, but she has always been known more for her good looks than her abilities. In 2005 in Indianapolis, she took fourth place — her best result prior to her win in Japan — and that was enough to get her more attention than the race’s winner, Dan Wheldon. She was even named Rookie of the Year for her 2005 IndyCar Series without ever having won anything."
(http://www.afterellen.com/blog/mariana/danica-patricks-historic-win)

But Danica is not the first women to ever race a car, nor will she be the last. One of the first women racers was Shirley Muldowney. Even she has taken "Racy" (Pun intended) photos.
The main difference is that Shirley was hugely successful in drag racing.
She has,
-Won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980 and 1982.
-Ranked No.5 on the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000
-Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990.
-In 2004, she was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
-In 2008, ESPN ranked her 21st on their top drivers of all-time, citing her record as the first woman to win a major racing championship.

She has most notably opened the door for many other women to follow in her footsteps such as, Melanie Troxel, Hillary Will, Ashley Force, Angelle Sampey, Karen Stoffer, Erica Enders, Rhonda Hartman and Connie Cohen. What is also amazing is that all of these women have won National Events! I haven't see any of these talented women gracing the pages of FHM or Maxum either. I find that interesting too because besides being talented, all of these women are very beautiful, in fact, some in my opinion, more than Danica Patrick.

Who cares if she can race? I do...

-Eric Oglanian-

Check out some of these other articles and links about female drivers
Women in motorsports
Ashley Force
Danica Patrick
Women are no stranger to Drag Racing Success
Shirley Muldowney
NHRA not Dragging its feet

Manifesto of Misrepresented Sports in the Media

The issues of race, class, and gender each have their own unique place in how they are portrayed in the world of sports. From the difference in which gender’s sport is shown and talked about more on sports channels, to the social class and ethnic backgrounds of athletes, and even to how race is talked about in sports reports and shows, each has a particular bias. Furthermore, the biases created by the portrayals of race, class, and gender work to give a certain representation to a sport in how it is received. Sports could be labeled based on these issues, which can often lead to a sport being misrepresented by the media. Our blog, “Misrepresented Sports in the Media” explores how race, class, and gender are used by the media to frame a sport in a certain light, and further examines these factors to show that a sport can be more diverse that what the media frames.

These issues are very applicable to sports in that they can be linked to the athletes, fans, and general demographics of the viewing audience that a sport may attract. Variables such as ethnic background, occupation/income, and even education are related to those who watch as well as those who participate. Class, as well as race and gender, is critical in that it can shape the representation of a sport in the media. Our blog discusses class in examining a sport that was once thought to not have much class at all, now known as Mixed Martial Arts. Though the sport has been portrayed as brutal since its early introduction in the United States, and is often thought to solely be oriented towards the interests of young men, the sport is more diverse than mainstream coverage would have one believe. There is a great variety of class in the demographics of the fans and audience as large percentages of men and women both attend or watch events. The sport attracts a large portion of the middle class as well. The ethnic backgrounds of those who fight in these events are very diverse as fighters come from countries all over the globe. Contrary to media depictions of the sports, many fighters are not thuggish-street brawlers, but accomplished athletes who seek a new form of competition that allows different styles of fighting, such as boxing and wrestling being utilized during a match. The fighters are also revealed to be well educated in that many have college degrees. Women also participate in the sport as fighters, and there are a number of accomplished female fighters although the media has not given them much attention.

“Misrepresented Sports in the Media” was created with the intent of examining sports more thoroughly than they are on the television stations. In doing so, our group aims to try to reach sports fans in our entries with the hope of further educating them beyond what mainstream media markets. The message we are trying to get across to sports fans is that sports are portrayed in a biased fashion based on what the media shows to the audience. Because of this bias portrayal, the true nature of a sport may not be revealed or acknowledged, and thus a sport is subjected to being stereotyped.

A Lost Outlet for Women's MMA?

With the closing of the Elite XC organization last month due to a filing of bankruptcy, there is an arguable loss that goes along with it. Because the organization was a standout in that it gave spotlight to women fighters on its event fight cards, it seems that now Women's MMA will not be seen by the public. Elite XC which aired its events on Showtime, and had even signed a deal with CBS to air its fights live, provided an outlet of public exposure for women fighters. With the closing of the organization, female fighters may have to struggle even harder to gain acceptance.

For more insight into this perspective, check out this article:

"The Pro Elite Debacle: A Loss for Women's MMA"