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May
10
2012 IC Football Managers Needed
May 10, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Here’s your opportunity to gain a hands-on experience with the operations of the varsity football team! There are two PAID work-study positions available for the fall. (And the possibility for Sport Management and/or Sport Media students to earn fieldwork credit.)
If you are interested, please contact head football coach Mike Welch 607-274-1143 or MWelch@ithaca.edu.
May
7
Cape Town: A Semester in the Mother City
May 7, 2012 | Leave a Comment
By Matt Tracy ’13
My spring break this year was unlike any spring break I’ve had before in my life. I usually spend my breaks catching up on homework, relaxing at home, or hanging out with friends. This year’s trip wasn’t even close to those.
The four-day, five-night adventure began with a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. I proceeded to go on a two-day safari through the wilderness of South Africa, a trip to South Africa’s most well known township (Soweto), and an ATV ride through the wilderness before I flew back to Cape Town. I made memories that will never fade, and I feel extremely lucky and thankful to have seen it all.
I must warn you that this is a very long blog post — so be sure to allocate some time if you want to dive into my South African adventures.
May
2
Miriam Greenfield ’95 Wins Emmy
May 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Ithaca College graduate Miriam Greenfield was recently awarded a Sports Emmy® (Outstanding Short Feature) for her work on ESPN Outside the Lines.
The former Park student and Sport Studies minor produced the short feature, “Time Out of Mind,” which explored endurance runner Diane Van Deren’s recovery from a right frontal lobotomy. The segment, which aired on Sunday, March 20, 2011, is below:
Photo Credit: Rob Labay ’93, Ithaca College
Apr
30
No Task is Too Small
April 30, 2012 | 2 Comments
Over the past four years, senior Jason Young served as a student manager and student assistant for the Bombers men’s basketball team. Below, the Sport Management major reflects on his experiences.
By Jason Young ’12
One of my earliest memories of coaching is when I was six years old and my dad was the head women’s basketball coach and athletic director at Yeshiva University (NY). They had a game at Emerson College in Boston and my dad took me along. Several memories stand out from my first NCAA Division III road trip: 1) We stayed at a Double Tree Hotel 2) Ate M&M’s while sitting on the bench and driving my dad nuts and 3) Drawing up my first basketball play (some resemblance of the weave you see Butler run today). All kidding aside, I had a couple handoffs drawn up on some Double Tree stationary that we talked about the night before. My dad ran the play when they were down by a lot and I’ll mark that down as the start of my coaching career. After my dad left Yeshiva and went to a New York City private school, like many coach’s kids I was at practice and on the bench during games. Coaching is in my blood but it wasn’t until 8th grade when I realized that I wanted to truly pursue this career.
High school came and went and my dreams and goals never changed from my 8th grade year. Sure, I played varsity basketball my junior and senior years, but honestly, I was a disappointment — playing at the next level was never an option. When it came time to looking at schools my criteria went something like this: the best sport management program I could get into, and the place where I could be on a college basketball staff. It came down to Indiana University and Ithaca College. I visited both places twice but I was drawn to Ithaca on the basis that I could achieve my academic and coaching goals. It took some convincing from Dr. Ellen Staurowsky and Coach Jim Mullins that Ithaca was the right fit for me. Dr. Staurowsky talked to me about being able to work in college sport, going to conferences, and consuming myself with my love for college sport. Coach Mullins was kind enough to take an hour out of his day to talk to a kid he wasn’t even recruiting. He sold me on the fact that 1) I would work my way up to being an assistant on the staff 2) That I would travel with the team and be there every step of the way and 3) The connection I could make through alumni in the coaching world like Dane Fischer, the associate head coach at Bucknell, and Zach Spiker, the head coach at Army.
Everything that was said to me that day would eventually come true over my four years at Ithaca.
Apr
26
Colorful Language
April 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment
By Brian Kibler ’13
The NFL draft is upon us. It’s a time of uncertainty. Rumors swirl, talking heads speculate, and Don Banks pumps out mock drafts like Liam Neeson pumps out 2-star movies. Teams flip flop on players, trade up and down, and guard their intentions.
But amidst all the ambiguity and doubt, we have one certainty to fall back on: Peter King’s subtly racist player evaluation.
This phenomenon isn’t unique to King. Not by a long shot. Any time you hear an analyst call white receiver Wes Welker a gym rat, you’re hearing subtle racism. Is Welker a workout fanatic? In all likelihood.
However, save for the rare exception, you have to be a fiendish worker to play professional football. Victor Cruz, Larry Fitzgerald, and Mike Wallace are probably “gym rats” too — but those same analysts focus on their freakish natural explosiveness.
The implication is that Welker achieved success through relentless work, but black players roll out of bed and run 4.3 40-yard dashes.
While King certainly isn’t the only perpetrator, he was in rare form in his latest mock draft.
Compare his descriptions of white offensive guard David DeCastro and black defensive tackle Dontari Poe.
According to King, DeCastro is “nasty, efficient, mistake free.” His success comes from his willpower and intelligence.
On the other hand, King explains that Poe “has a chance to be . . . a freakishly talented interior force against the run and pass.” In other words, Poe was born to play football — a natural who’s full of untapped potential.
The athletic difference between potential first round picks is marginal. They’re all tremendously gifted players. Even so, DeCastro and Poe’s combine numbers are unusually similar. Poe outweighs DeCastro by 30 pounds, and smoked him in the 40-yard dash (which is almost completely irrelevant to line play). But DeCastro toasted Poe by .6 of a second in the cone drill, and they clocked identical shuttle runs and measured the same vertical leap.
Contrary to King’s analysis, the players are athletically comparable.
Iowa offensive tackle Riley Reiff is another white player who’ll be selected in the first round. King hands him to the Chargers in his mock-up. He feels the pick is justified. Why?
“Reiff is a scrapper and a fighter in the tradition of Hawkeye linemen,” King writes.
Of course, Hawkeye offensive linemen are mostly white guys.
It gets worse. Stanford tight end Coby Fleener is a tremendous athlete. He’s 6’6” and 247 pounds. He clocked a 4.52 at the NFL combine — wide receiver speed — and he’s an excellent leaper.
That combination of size and speed isn’t learned. It’s inherent. Fleener is genetically designed to play football. But he’s also white, so King doesn’t characterize him as such.
“Jim Harbaugh likes smart, physical, versatile skill players . . . Fleener isn’t as athletic as Vernon Davis, but he did gain 17.8 yards per reception in his last two seasons for the Cardinal,” King wrote.
King only mentions Fleener’s athleticism to qualify it as inferior to a black tight end’s athleticism.
He uses the same loaded language when evaluating top linebacker Luke Kuechly. Kuechly is big, swift (4.58 in the 40), and explosive (38-inch vertical leap).
In King’s own Monday Morning Quarterback column, he quotes Mike Mayock as saying Kuechly is “the best pass-dropping inside linebacker I’ve ever seen in college football.”
Pass coverage requires exceptional speed and agility. Nonetheless, here is King’s assessment:
“The all-time leading tackler in both school and Atlantic Coast Conference history is the perfect player for Kansas City G.M. Scott Pioli: whistle-clean character, great instincts. Kuechly isn’t overwhelmingly physical, though.”
Did Kuechly’s moral character propel him into the 4.5 range in the forty? Do white players work harder, care more, and understand the game better than black players?
Of course not. Peter King is just kind of racist.
Editor’s Note: As academic scholarship and research has discovered, racial stereotyping — intentional or unintentional — is not a new phenomenon in sport media. In this case, Peter King, a renowned writer (for better or worse), perpetuates this notion.
Photo Credits: Memphis Flyer (3rd photo) // Ezra Shaw/Getty Images (4th photo) // AP (5th photo)
Apr
26
9th Annual Hole-in-One Weekend (Saturday, April 28th)
April 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment
There’s still time to register for and donate to the 9th Annual Hole-in-One Weekend.
This year’s tournament will be played this Saturday, April 28, 2012 at the beautiful Country Club of Ithaca. Our annual Sport Management and Media Department Awards Ceremony, catered by the Country Club of Ithaca, will follow the tournament.
The Hole-in-One Weekend is designed as a networking and social event for all participants. The golf tournament’s goal is to bring together Ithaca College alumni/ae, faculty, students, industry professionals and local community members to create long-lasting relationships that will assist students with internship and career opportunities.
Donations from alumni/ae are integral to the success of the event. We are asking for monetary donations and/or prizes for either golf tournament participants or as feature items in the silent auction/raffle; proceeds can also go to the Professor Wayne Blann Scholarship or Stephen Mosher Sport Studies Endowment. If you are able to contribute to the tournament please mail your donation to: Read more
Apr
22
Courtesy of sports marketing and public relations guru Joe Favorito, below is a social media summer internship opportunity with Sports Illustrated.
Sports Illustrated is seeking two summer interns for their social media department. These interns will work closely with the communications and editorial teams and sit on the front line as ambassadors of the media company, its journalists and content.
These are paid internships. Qualified applicants will have deep knowledge of the driving principles powering social engagement via popular and emerging platforms, a willingness to work flexible hours, an interest in journalism and excellent writing skills.
Interested applicants should send resumes to: Scott_novak@timeinc.com
Apr
18
9th Annual Hole-in-One Weekend
April 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment
It is time to mark your calendars for the 9th Annual Hole-In-One Weekend.
This year’s tournament will be played on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at the beautiful Country Club of Ithaca. Our annual Sport Management and Media Department Awards Ceremony, catered by the Country Club of Ithaca, will follow the tournament.
The Hole-in-One Weekend is designed as a networking and social event for all participants. The golf tournament’s goal is to bring together Ithaca College alumni/ae, faculty, students, industry professionals and local community members to create long-lasting relationships that will assist students with internship and career opportunities.
Donations from alumni/ae are integral to the success of the event. We are asking for monetary donations and/or prizes for either golf tournament participants or as feature items in the silent auction/raffle; proceeds can also go to the Professor Wayne Blann Scholarship or Stephen Mosher Sport Studies Endowment. If you are able to contribute to the tournament please mail your donation to:
Sport Management & Media Department
c/o Lana Walsh, Administrative Assistant
Hill Center #12
Ithaca College
953 Danby Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
Thank you for your donation consideration. Please visit our website for more information on registration forms and sponsorships or access PDF below:
Participants and sponsors, please click here to download a registration form.
We look forward to seeing you back in Ithaca and out on the greens!
Apr
17
From the Field: Boston Maraton (Conclusion)
April 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Sport Media major Chris Lotsbom is in The Walking City covering the 116th Boston Marathon for various media outlets. Below, the junior shares his “Marathon Monday” experience.
By Chris Lotsbom ’13
Wow. That’s all I can say. Wow.
One of only 15 media members to view the 116th Boston Marathon from the lead press truck, I had an amazing Marathon Monday.
The crowds were great, the races greater, and the heat was, well, greatest. Temperatures went well into the upper 80s here, making for a hot, conservative race until the halfway point. From there, the real action began. For a full recap of the race, check out my feature article.
What was most unique about the lead truck experience wasn’t the race itself (though the comeback of Wesley Korir was amazing). Riding through the eight cities and towns leading to Boston, I got to see all of the race’s history I have read about in numerous running books: the ten-deep crowds; the women of Wellesley; Heartbreak Hill; the partying men and women of Boston College and Boston University; Fenway Park; Kenmore Square; the Citgo Sign; and, of course, the right onto Hereford Street and then left onto Boylston that leads to the finish.
Wow.
Riding alongside photographers and writers (as well as Sam Chelanga, a professional runner who I wrote about on Friday), I enjoyed each and every minute of the two hour, ten minute-ride. Snapping hundreds of pictures and taking a few videos, my camera died two miles from the finish 
But I didn’t care — the memories of the race and ride are engraved into my mind and will be an experience I will think about for the rest of my life.
Following the finish, I attended the post-race press conferences and wrote the above story, while my editor David Monti covered the women’s race.
There is no way to put into words the opportunity I had here this weekend. Thank you to all of my professors for letting me attend Marathon Weekend!
Only 365 days until next year — can’t wait!
Apr
16
From the Field: Boston Marathon (Part III)
April 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Sport Media major Chris Lotsbom is in The Walking City covering the 116th Boston Marathon for various media outlets. Below, the junior shares his experiences leading up to “Marathon Monday.”
By Chris Lotsbom ’13
As the junior editor of Race Results Weekly (an online magazine that covers the distance running world), one of the perks every year is Boston Marathon weekend: four days of running, media conferences, business gatherings, and of course the races themselves. Here are some of the highlights from Sunday, day three here in Boston:
• First up today was the B.A.A. 5-K, a 3.1 mile race through Boston’s Back Bay area. Luckily, I was one of only three media members to ride the pace truck, which leads the athletes on the route. Getting an up close and personal view of the men’s leaders is really unique; you get to see the race develop, watching the strategies of some of the best athletes in the world right in front of your eyes. Winning was Ben True of the US, beating Sam Chelanga (the man I wrote about two days ago) in a sprint to the finish. My editor, David Monti, wrote a race recap.
• After jumping off the lead truck and getting some interviews, I got to relax for a bit with the elite athletes. Talking to Chelanga, True, Olympian Desiree Davila, and Werknesh Kidane (the women’s winner, also someone I wrote about yesterday), I was able to get to know the elites even better. It’s cool when someone like Davila remembers you from previous races. When they recognize your face and remember your name, you know you’ve begun to establish yourself in the sport.
• By 10:00 a.m. I was back to business, covering the B.A.A. Invitational Mile races, where high schoolers and elites run a three-lap course that loops around a city block. Exciting races played out in all divisions; I recapped the race in an article.
Fun fact: Women’s winner Morgan Uceny is a graduate of Cornell. Whenever we see each other, we always begin our conversation with a fun argument — who has the better track team, Ithaca College or Cornell. Uceny is one of the best personalities in the sport, and is ranked #1 in the world for the mile.
• Following the submission of my story, I headed over to the Boston Public Library with friend and NBCOlympics.com track and field producer Joe Battaglia to watch an incredible round table session with Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley recounting their 1982 race dubbed the “Duel In The Sun.”
Two of the greatest athletes in Boston Marathon history, the duo are remembered for their epic 26.2 battle 30-years ago. There, Beardsley led nearly the entire race, only to be edged by Salazar in the final meters. An amazing YouTube clip of the race is below — definitely worth a watch.
Hearing the two speak was definitely a high point of the weekend. The lessons they’ve learned, challenges overcome, and memories discussed made the running nerd in me go crazy with excitement. I plan to write a feature article on this discussion soon, so be on the look out for that.
• Finally, tomorrow is the big day — the 116th Boston Marathon, which will begin at 9:00 a.m. in Hopkinton, Mass. Luckily, I will be watching the race from the men’s lead truck, something only about 20 people get to experience each year. Tomorrow I will share my experience.
Till then, I will be finishing up some final pre-race research, then it’s time to rest up for the big day . . .
