Abstract
This paper is an argumentative essay about the need for salary caps in Major league Baseball. The paper argues that salary caps are necessary in order survive as a profitable sport.

From the Paper
"There is obviously a problem in Major league Baseball and it needs to be fixed before the league goes belly up. While this sounds preposterous it is quite possible. In my mind the best solution would be a salary cap and revenue sharing. As a Padres fan I grow tired of seeing them place last or second to in the NL West. While I will still support them I won't be attending as many games (especially while in Iowa). Because of this they will lose money in ticket sales, with the effects of that trickling all the way down to revenue for broadcasting, leaving them in a financially precarious position. This is in danger of happening to many teams. Fans are going are growing tired and vexed at seeing their teams go nowhere in the post-season. Three competitive teams are not enough to keep a profitable fan base and more importantly profitable revenue."

Tags:baseball, broadcast, broadcasting, bud, cap, league, major, profit, revenue, salary, selig, sharing

Abstract
This paper discusses the reasons for the baseball strike of 1994 to 1995 and its economic impact ton the baseball field and related industries.

From the Paper
"The reasons for the strike were both complicated and virtually all economic. They all connected to one of two issues: the owners wanted to find an equitable way to distribute some profits to struggling teams in smaller markets, and in the process, they wanted to use some funds that in the past had been the players'. The management's proposed solution (redistribution of some profits) was not a perfect plan as not all smaller teams faced financial difficulties (Staudohar, 1997)."

Tags:revenue, Major, League, teams, fans, salary, arbitration, players, profits

Abstract
The following paper discusses why steroids have garnered a lot of media attention over the years. The writer looks at the true story behind these controversial substances, though the main focus of this paper is the sport's arena. It is of the writer's opinion that the world of sports will never be based on true competition until these supplements are eradicated for good.

From the Paper
"In today's society, there is undoubtedly a strong emphasis on physical fitness and athletic strength. The media-driven quest for the "perfect body" has caused everything from low self-esteem to anorexia nervosa to suicide in our society. For professional athletes, the demands for physical perfection are particularly intense, in large part due to the use and abuse of steroids."

Tags:abuse, athletes, competition, debate, drug, substance, field, play, competition, physical, perfection, abuse

Abstract
This paper discusses pros and cons of Title IX. It examines its effect on collegiate athletics and predicted problems with the future. The writer presents problems with proportions and quotas and how the Bush administration addresses this issue.

From the Paper
"Passed in 1972, Title IX is a set of federal provisions that seek to level the playing field for both male and female athletes throughout the country. Title IX mandates equal opportunities for participation for both genders in educational programs that receive federal funding. However, from the very beginning this legislation has been involved in a whirlwind of controversy, largely because of the incredible grey area it attempts to sift through. While most of Title IX's critics even agree it is worthwhile, the debate has been in the criterion for and application of the mandates. Now, in light of newly filed lawsuits and a recently formed federal review commission, Title IX is back in the limelight again."

Tags:athletics, college, collegiate, female, funding, legislation, olympics, sports, women

Abstract
This short paper looks at the popularity of athletes in our present day society. The author argues that, through the media, athletes are seen as role models and therefore have a profound influence on impressionable children.

From the Paper
"An athlete is a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina. Since the beginning if the 20th century, athletes have become more and more recognizable in the public eye. They are seen as much more than just a person who plays sports. In fact, in today's world, athletes are among the highest paid professionals. "

Tags:sport, example

Abstract
This paper presents arguments for and against the use of illegal substances by athletes in the sports arena. The writer takes the stand that the world is currently filled with enhancers of all sorts and that athletes should not be condemned for dragging this practice onto the sports field.

From the Paper
"Although there are rules against illegal substance use in sports you cannot criticize the guilty athletes too harshly. They may not have made the right choice but everyone makes mistakes. Before you turn your nose up at a guilty athlete and tattoo him as a 'cheater' maybe you should think about the last time you colored your hair, whitened your teeth, or popped that stimulant your doctor prescribed you to help you focus. Yes, there are big differences, but the bottom line is you cannot condemn an athlete for using something to improve his performance on the field when we are guilty of the same off the field. Athletes should not be criticized so harshly for using artificial substances to improve their performance when other people are guilty of the same."

Tags:athlete

Abstract
This paper discusses the current salaries of professional athletes and their impact on the sports world. The author examines how the skyrocketing salaries have affected experiences and perceptions of fans and negatively impacted professional sports.

From the Paper
"If you are planning on taking your family to a ball game, be sure to come with your favorite team's t-shirt, your camera and binoculars, and a fat wallet. That's right, be prepared to fork over the cash, because it will cost you upwards of over $250. Athlete salaries have drastically increased over the past couple decades. As these wages continue to mushroom to unprecedented heights, the cost of attending sporting events elevates to new plateaus of its own. In addition to increased ticket prices, which hurt the ability of many fans to go to games, exploding salaries have resulted in greed of players and owners and a lower quality of play in some areas. All of this has left a bad taste in the mouths of even the most die hard sports fans. If current trends continue, professional sports might lose what remains of its integrity and become just another industry where victory is auctioned off to the highest bidder."

Tags:baseball, basketball, football, contract, tickets, sales, mcgwire, sosa, yankee, stadium

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts Asian women in professional and competitive sports against American women that are engaged in the same sports. The author emphasizes the role of Chinese and American women in the Olympic games. He then demonstrates how the popular media in the United States tends to present female Asian athletes as being overly dedicated to their respective sports to the end goal of drug use or cheating, while female American athletes are presented as being dedicated but also are completely honest in all respects.

From the Paper
" The American and the Asian medias treat their own female athletes much as they would their male athletes, but it is evident that the American mainstream media tends to portray Asian women as athletes that are not really competitors but are instead almost monstrous. In articles from the 1998 Summer Games, for example, the allegations that the Chinese athletes were using drugs allowed the media to vilify these women. "

Tags:news, racism, report, reporting, society, sport, sports

Abstract
This is a persuasive paper that tackles the idea that sports has become simply a marketing agent and a business game rather than a sport that promotes competition, values and respect. The author argues that sport has recently been transformed to a commercial mechanism whereby the media promotes ideals of heroes and contribute to the ideals of falsity and corruption. Sports has become a commodity and a marketing tool and a money orientated idea. Includes an analysis of the statement by Tyler Cowen "we run the danger that commercially successful heroes induce dangerous forms of mimesis and fail to help citizens coordinate around noble ideas."

From the Paper
"Thesis: The marketing of sports has become a business where players make more money marketing the products than playing the game. Sports heroes are then, no longer promoting the ideals of competition and values, rather through the commercialization of the team and player they are contributing falsity to a society already chaotic. "

Tags:sport, monet, comodity, conumer, marketing, business, hero, social

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that sports have always been a positive for society in many different ways. They are a great way to stay healthy, they provide an outlet for stress and aggression and they teach important life skills such as teamwork and fair play, just to name a few. Modern day sports still encompass all of these positives but as salaries for athletes skyrocket, so does the motivation to be the best. The writer discusses that this increased motivation is not a negative but the means by which athletes try and improve themselves can sometimes be questionable. The writer notes that the main problem is undoubtedly steroids; however, there are other issues such as using an agency to 'sell' an athlete to a college, which by many is considered going too far. The writer concludes that the only way to turn the direction sports is taking is to be more vigilant in efforts to catch drug cheats and to discourage athletes from using underhanded tactics in order to succeed in the sporting arena.

From the Paper
"This reaction is understandable because if other players are using then the athlete is left with the question of how they are going to be able to compete against the many other players that have an edge over them. This band wagon type effect could easily be stopped if the initial users were either caught or discontinued their use. The moral side of the story is another factor to do with the willingness of athletes to do whatever it takes.
"As sports have attracted greater media attention, athletes have been turned into not only super starts but also role models. What kid didn't look at their favorite athlete and want to be just like them? This creates a moral obligation for athletes. By taking any means necessary to advance in their chosen sport athletes are also giving that message to the public. This can send a dangerous message to children because when they find out their favorite athlete and hero is cheating. "

Tags:steroids, performance, incentive, cheating