SPT 123 - Sports in America

3 credit hours - Three hours weekly; one term.
Examine the role, function and significance of sports and their impact on the hearts and minds of Americans. Research topics such as myth and legends, rituals and ceremonies, women and sports, amateurs and professionals, the business of sports and sports as a secular religion.

Note: Typically offered at MC and OL; all terms.

Course Outcomes:

Develop an understanding of American sports history as academic inquiry.
- Understand intersection between historical events and sports.
- Identify historical trends as they relate to diversity issues in sports.
- Examine the relationship between sports and national identity.
Examine class issues in sports.
- Assess areas of class as it relates to sports preferences.
- Examine the impact of immigration on sports.
- Explain the connection between socioeconomic and class issues in the popularity of sporting events.
Examine the influence of race on sports.
- Understand the role of sports during slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, and in the modern era.
- Examine the dynamics of race within amateur and professional sports.
- Observe the impact of race in the marketing of sports.
Examine the influence of gender on sports.
- Examine historical perspectives of women in sports.
- Identify important influences on the advancement of women in sports.
- Assess the impact of sexism within the marketing of sports.
Identify the role that sports play within a geopolitical framework.
- Dissect the interplay between sports and politics on a local and national scale.
- Examine nationalism as a concept that appears within sporting events.
- Develop a further understanding about the meaning of sports within American history.
Examine the role of the media in sports.
- Understand the impact of newspapers, radio, and television on the popularity of sports.
- Assess the media’s role in the creation of sports heroes.
- Examine the use of sports-related ideas in other venues.