Anthony's Blog Conclusion

Alright, I know that the end of the semester is not until the first week of May.  But I have maxed out on the number of blogs and comments I can make, so why sit around for a month waiting to put up my conclusion?  I would rather get it finished so I can focus on my Olympic Bid project with both eyes.  I will keep reading the articles and if one pops up that I can’t keep from commenting on, perhaps my blog will come out of retirement.  If two or three perk my interest, well, then it will be the Favre of blogs.

I really enjoyed keeping a blog of the readings this semester.  Probably unlike most, I prefer some structure in my assignments that keeps me focused on the tasks I need to accomplish.  It has definitely helped keep me up to date on the readings each week.  One of the other things I liked and that I learned from was viewing other’s blogs.  It gave me the perspective others held on the papers and topics and helped me shape my own opinion of how sport and society are reflections of each other.  While this may go all the way back to the beginning, I particularly liked reading everyone’s Introduction blog.  Some of the people in class I have known for a while and I still learned new things about them.  Others I had no idea who they were and it helped me get to know who they are and where they are coming from.  I am a big believe that our past experiences help shape who we are and how we view the world, so in a way it let me know the “audience” that is our Sport and Society class.

I don’t know that blogging actually forced me to think differently about certain topics.  I tried hard to be honest about what I felt in each of my posts.  I think too often we are afraid to say what we really feel and think, which severely limits an academic discussion.  So rather than changing how it forced me to think differently, I would say that it allowed me to express myself differently and honestly.  Speaking up in a class when your viewpoint is different or unique is sometime an intimidating prospect, especially from a generation more accustom to texting or “facebooking” someone.

My personal favorite article so far this semester have been the 1998 “A Twist of Race: Ben Johnson and the Canadian Crisis of Racial and National Identity” from Steven J. Jackson.  I think I am guilty as many Americans are of overlooking Canada.  It also highlighted the racial issues in another country that I think most would consider fairly progressive and liberal.  I have too often only examined racism from the American perspective and the history I have been presented of racism paints it as one that was created in America and not shown it as an issue with global implications.

I am not sure where I will end up in my career, but I do believe that I will be able to use the lessons in this class to ensure that I view my work and world with a more enlightened view of sociological issues.  Diversity will be a major part of the world for the foreseeable future, especially in America.  As globalization continues, we are increasingly interacting with those who we would label as “others” in a less enlightened light.  Rather than thinking of those outside of my imagined communities as “others”, I hope to use my knowledge to consider them all fellow human beings.