European Sport Tourism Academic Conference

European Sport Tourism Academic Conference

GLEE AND HOMOPHOBIA IN SPORTS

by John Nauright

Feb. 22, 2012

Last night’s episode of Glee was one of the most important hours of television ever aired in America dealing with sports. You heard me right, the show that normally addresses a choral group as safe space for all, took on one of the least talked about, yet important issues in sports today – the issue of homophobia in male sports.

In the episode, the closeted gay football player character of David Karofsky, who previously bullied Kurt, an openly gay member of the chorus group, is outed by others and has the word “Fag” spray-painted across his locker. In a locker room scene he is taunted by his teammates, his supposed friends, as he flees the scene. Upon arriving in his room at home, he sees even worse language all over the internet about him. With no easy refuge, he chooses to attempt suicide as a way to escape his pain and humiliation.

This wasn’t the only issue dealt within an episode that included: bullying and threat of exposure on the internet in order to win the regional choral championship – the sportization of art; teenage love and marriage; the dangers of misusing cyberspace; and the dangers of texting and driving. All of these are incredibly important issues. However, in my line of work, the issue of homophobia insports is one that is so taboo that few shows have ever dealt with it as a central issue.

This week in the United Kingdom leading soccer and other sporting officials are having a summit meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron to discuss how to best promote anti-homophobia in sport, similar to anti-racism campaigns that have been ongoing for several years now.  While racism has not been eliminated from soccer, as recent incidents have shown, much progress has been made. Britain’s first openly gay professional soccer player Justin Fashanu committed suicide in 1998, which first brought the issues of homosexuality and homophobia to national prominence. Since that time a handful of male athletes in sports like soccer and rugby have “come out” publically, however, sporting spaces remain unsafe for gay and bisexual boys and men and thus many boys who might otherwise enjoy sports either fight an inner battle with themselves in order to play, or turn away from sports altogether.

Discrimination in sports has a long history in the USA. It took a humiliating defeat by the Southern Cal football team for University of Alabama legendary head coach, Bear Bryant to end racial discrimination in sports at the university. He knew that to compete nationally, he needed access all of the players from Alabama, not just the white ones. This was done to preserve the core sports value of winning, however.

Many of the values we teach in contact sports – aggression, domination, power, physical pain – are meant to intimidate and do harm to the opposition in the pursuit of victory. We want to “win at all costs”.  In Glee we see this taken to the extreme as a valuable member of the team is cast aside by his teammates who seem not tocare afterwards if he lives or dies. Karofsky is not visited by his teammates after his suicide attempt, but by members of the choral group who embrace him and provide him a safe haven for the future.  Thus, the issue is left unresolved.

Hundreds of websites in the USA berate homosexual, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans in the name of religion or to uphold “conservative values.” This issue shows America at both its best and worst. The region in which I live is no exception. The Maryland legislature is debating and voting on the legalization of same-sex marriage – the expansion of freedoms and human rights to all. On the other hand, the Virigina legislature is debating legislation that attacks human rights, particularly those of women. 

Shows like Glee did not exist when I was growing up; thankfully today they do. It has opened up space for discrimination in all its forms to be discussed and debated. Kids who have felt like outcasts can now feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I hope that more programs will show that there is light at the end of the male sporting tunnel and one of the last great bastions of hate is opened up for the expression of joy and excitement that comes from the playing of sports. It is my hope that sporting teams and organizations learn to accept all who wish to play regardless of race, class, religion, sexuality.

Sport in the Caribbean

by Kelsey Moore


It has been quite interesting to learn about sport in the Caribbean and the importance of specific sport to specific cultures. We were given a very in depth look at cricket in Barbados and the historical and cultural history of it. There is not even a comparable sport in the US that is so embedded in culture that it becomes part of one's national identity. Cricket has played that role in Barbados and has largely overshadowed all other sports on the island. However, different sporting cultures have emerged on other West Indies islands as soccer reigns king in Trinidad and Tobago and track and field remains dominant in Jamaica. It was interesting to hear how soccer is Barbados is seen as the gang and drug related sport while cricket is much more of the civilized sport which all young people are encouraged to play as a part of the growth and development process. Cricket is respected and followed by almost everyone in Barbados, but has become a sore subject of late for some. The Barbados (and West Indies) cricket teams are not performing to the exceptionally high standards set in past decades by their teams of being among the best in the world. Despite still being hands down the most popular sport at grassroots and elite levels, cricket in Barbados is not at the competitive level that they used to be.

St. Lucia, however, has a very different grassroots sporting culture in that most youth here are playing soccer. There is some variety with programs in volleyball, cricket and netball as well, but soccer still remains the most popular sport on the island of St. Lucia. It is interesting, since the current captain of the West Indies cricket team is from St. Lucia, that there is not more of a widespread interest in playing the sport. In that respect, St. Lucia seems more similar to other developing nations in which soccer is played by everyone everywhere and provides an opportunity for someone to leave their home area. Many of the children and youth in St. Lucia have never left the island due to financial constraints. Sport may provide an opportunity for a youth to be offered a much sought-after scholarship to an American university or even a chance to travel to another Caribbean island to play in regional competitions. Learning about sport and the culture surrounding various sports in the Caribbean has really been a new and exciting experience!

Snorkeling, Shipwrecks, and Sea Turtles!

On Monday afternoon we ventured down to the neighboring St. James Parish via a reggae bus for a 2 hour snorkeling excursion off the coast of Holetown Beach. In case you’re wondering what a reggae bus is, imagine this: a public transportation bus that rapidly pulls over wherever it pleases to pick up passengers and ensures a stifling hot, crowded, and noisy ride. Once you step foot on the bus you are guaranteed a ride to your destination featuring the hottest selection of island music for just $2 BDS! Reggae buses have also come to be known as a great way for college students who want an inexpensive ride and who don't mind mingling with the locals (as in being so close to them that chances are, your sweat is probably quite literally mingling with theirs) to get around the island.
Each bus ride is certainly an experience in itself but I digress…

Holetown Beach
Photo Credit: Malene Kjær

After we arrived at Holetown Beach we negotiated prices with a number of local boat owners until we got the best price for an afternoon of snorkeling (again, doing as we college students do best and going with the cheapest option!) Once we were satisfied with the price we hopped on board a glass bottom double-decker boat and went out a short distance from the coast to begin snorkeling. Our first stop was over a coral reef where six of us donned a mask and snorkel and took the plunge into the crystal clear Caribbean Ocean while the others looked on from the boat.

Snorkeling through a school of fish

At the reef we saw brain coral, fan coral, and a plethora of brightly colored fish including parrot fish and trumpet fish. Although some of us felt that the massive schools of fish were already swimming a little too close for comfort, our guides and fellow classmates who were watching from the comfort of the boat disagreed. So, in an effort to attract the fish closer to the surface of the water the guides and our classmates who chose to stay on the boat proceeded to throw slices of bread into the ocean. This caused an impromptu feeding frenzy in which we were involuntarily centered. At this point I think most of us felt we had gotten a little more than we had bargained for as the fish were jumping out of the water, splashing around us, and swimming up against us!

Our second and much less eventful stop was at a man-made shipwreck site. After a few minutes of snorkeling our guides explained to us that what we were seeing 30 meters below the surface was a previously functioning cargo ship that had been filled with concrete and purposefully sunken to become a tourist attraction. While we snorkeled over the shipwreck we enjoyed seeing and swimming alongside many types of fish!

One of the many sea turtles!

A short distance further down the coast was the grand finale on our snorkeling excursion. At the last stop we had the opportunity to swim with Sea Turtles. This was definitely the most highly anticipated part of the day and it certainly did not disappoint! As soon as we jumped off of the boat and into the water, we became fast friends with the turtles! We definitely got the up close and personal sea turtle experience we were guaranteed as we were actually shaking hands and receiving high-fives from our new ocean dwelling friends! This was truly an incredible and unique experience, something I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting the island of Barbados!

Overall we all had a great time out on the boat and in the water; it was definitely one of the most memorable days of the trip!

A Good "Lime" Depends Greatly on Good Company

THIS IS FOR MY PEOPLE. Hospitable, kind, and genuine are the words that come to mind to describe those who we encountered and interacted with during this trip. Some took us in as if we were members of their extended family in town for a visit. Some made it their mission to show us a good time and assure that we experienced as much as possible. Some were fascinated with our swagger and wanted to hangout so it could rub off on them not knowing that the intentions were mutual. Some relationships started as business and ended as a friendship. Some started as friendships and made it easy to do business.  

As my father says “we are just plain folks, trying to have a good time.” I believe that if you exude respect, are genuine, and have overall good character it is recognized and reciprocated. 

Now for some cliché statements to wrap up: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” “Treat other’s the way you would want to be treated.” “Don’t worry, be Happy.”

To Smitty, Phillip, Rommel, Snake, Sammy D, Ted, Adrian and many more I thank you, your eclectic personalities have represented your country well, I can only hope we did the same.

Bathsheba - By Annika Svensson

            On Tuesday January 10^th, 2012 we had to get up extremely early to head to Bathsheba for a day of surfing. Bathsheba is located on the other side of the island (the east side) so we left our dorms by 8am to ensure we could make all our bus times. We had to catch two buses to make our way over but the second bus only ran every two hours so we had to make our 9am stop. Driving around here is probably some of the craziest driving experience I think I’ve ever personally been through. Our first bus was pretty quite but very over crowded because the rest of residents of the island had school to attend to. As a quick side note, the school uniforms are some the brightest uniforms and spread of colors I have ever seen; it’s just so beautiful and they all look so cute. Our second bus ride was crazy though. Since Bathsheba is located on the other side of the island, that landscaping is laid out slightly different from ours over here on the west side of the island. The roads are still very narrow and torn up, but we went on some of the hilliest roads on the island I personally think. Nicole and I were pretending we were on a roller coaster as we went up and down through some of the villages. Probably the best thing about being on the second bus was the fact that we got to see what more of the local residential areas looked like. Finally after about an hour of traveling we reached Bathsheba.

            Our next goal for the trip was to locate “Snake” who was going to be our surfing instructor for the day. After searching for a blue house with a white roof for about five minutes we saw a Bajan man staying in the distance waving us down. Since the waves we first arrived were apparently not good surfing material, according to Snake, he invited us back to his house for a few minutes so he could get ready and hoped the waves picked up. We found out that he doesn’t teach professionally, but it’s more of a side job. Apparently how he got his name when he first started surfing he road a short board instead of a long board which means he was able to weave through the waves and people much easier so he was given the name Snake. I wish that one of us had taken a very clear photo of him because he was probably in his early 60’s but one of the coolest guys we had met on the island. While we sat and waited he provided us with fresh picked bananas and coconut, which was incredible. An hour later it was time to hit the waves.

            As we reached the beach to our far left we saw something that looked like a nature made pool area. The water reached about four feet deep but there was a little rope swing that allowed you to swing down from the rocks into the shallow pool if you wanted too. The water was so refreshing from the burning sun. While we chilled in the pool for a while Snake recruited a friend to help out with the surf lessons. One by one each of the group members who decided to surf went out there and went for it. Everyone got up at least once but probably the best of all of us was Kelsey. The few of us who didn’t surf walked around the beach to take pictures of the massive rocks that were just standing there in the middle of the ocean. I realized that the east coast the water is much rougher, the waves were coming in and break about every minute but there were rocks everywhere. After three hours and everyone completely their time it was time to head back to grab a very late lunch.

Spear fishing off the coast of Barbados

A few of us woke up bright and early for a day of fishing out on a boat.  We met up with David Smith, an experienced reef diver/fisherman who offered to take five of us out with him, while he and two other experienced divers went spear fishing on a reef about half a mile out in the ocean. We arrived at the beach where the Captain and David were already preparing for the dive. When we got there, we helped load a small dingy with gear and supply's and we rowed it out to the boat which was anchored about 100 yards offshore.    Once the two other divers arrived, we were off.  We spent the early morning out on the water and conducted two dives, each about 45 minutes long.  The divers all speared a variety of fish on the reef at two different locations consisting of Parrot Fish, Red Belly Chub, Red Snapper, Ling Ling, Spanish Mackerel and Barracuda.   We had the opportunity to line fish in between dives, and I was lucky enough to snag my own Ling Ling on a hook.  We were also given the opportunity to snorkel and swim around a pier which was full of aquatic life.  After about  5 hours we headed back to shore and took our catch to a local restaurant, where it was prepared into a delicious meal for us.  What a great day!!