Sam Gordon- International Sensation

Sam Gordon is a 9 year old girl from America who became an international sensation after footage was posted onto Youtube which soon became viral. Gordon even managed to capture the attention of the NFL commisioner Roger Goodell and the National Football League as a whole.

Sensational Sam Gordon Becomes First Female Football Player on Wheaties Box

Sam Gordon continues to delight a nation with her astonishing skill, and now her image will be seen on Wheaties boxes across the nation, according to an ABC News report.

The full article is avaibla here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1417644-sensational-sam-gordon-becomes-first-female-football-player-on-wheaties-box

Sam Gordon, 9-Year-Old Girl Football Phenom, Invited To Super Bowl By NFL

Sam Gordon, the 9-year-old football sensation, electrified the Internet in November with a YouTube compilation of her season dominating the boys in a Salt Lake City-area youth league. She then became the first female football player to grace the cover of a Wheaties cereal box.

Now she's going to the Super Bowl, ESPN reports.

The full article is available here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/sam-gordon-super-bowl_n_2411012.html

The nine-year-old girl called 'Sweet Feet' who's running rings around older boys as a star football player

Sam Gordon, 9, has become one of the fastest children in her local football league just a year after she started playing

A video of her game highlights posted online has gone viral

Weighing not even 60 pounds, she fearlessly tackles players weighing up to 150 pounds

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2229696/Sam-Gordon-The-year-old-girl-whos-star-football-player.html#ixzz2WZ2UCPRQ

 

 

Sam Gordon, girl football sensation, joins 'NFL GameDay Morning'

Nine-year-old football star Sam Gordon took the football world by storm with her YouTube video and on Sunday showcased her best moves against ex-NFL stars Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk.

The link here directs to a video on NFL.com: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap2000000096297/Sam-Gordon-joins-NFL-GameDay-Morning

American Football Fans

Fans in the NFL

 

The below images show examples of fans within the NFL. With the National Football League being a predominantly male sport. The three examples that I have chosen are three of the most recognisable fans within the league. I have chosen to use Oakland Raiders Black Hole which is the first image shown below. I have chosen the Cincinnatti Bengals Stormtrooper and the Cleveland Browns Dog Pound. These are 3 examples of the passion that goes into the majority of fans within the NFL as well as the fans within American Sports as a general majority.



The Superbowl- Advertising

The advertising for the SuperBowl has now become as big as the game itself. With the recent SuperBowl XLVII drawing in viewership figures of 108 million in the US alone it provides the perfect format for companies to get their products across to a nationwide audience. The adverts are now discussed as much as the game itself and have become engrained into the culture of 'America's Game'.

Super Bowl Ads Are Still Super Cheap: $4 Million for 30 Seconds Is a Bargain

Advertising is so ubiquitous that much of it is worth nothing. But for one night, crowded rooms huddle together, shushed before a TV, to watch and discuss ads. That's truly scarce. And nearly priceless.

The typical conversation about Super Bowl ads and their sticker-price begins with a statistic and ends with tremendous skepticism. "$4 million for no more than half a minute of TV time, are you kidding me?" And then every year, companies make it clear that they are not kidding you, by buying every last spot many weeks before the big game, at a higher price, over and over again.

Below are the three graphs that i have taken from the article, they all show the price but all compare it to different things.

The first graph below shows the price in 1967 compared 2013

This next graph shows the price compared to digital adverts online



The final graph shows the price compared to other American TV shows such as Family Guy



All of these graphs have been taken from an article which can be found here: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/super-bowl-ads-are-still-super-cheap-4-million-for-30-seconds-is-a-bargain/272628/



Example of adverts from SuperBowl XLVII

The Superbowl- Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen: 108.4 million people watched Super Bowl XLVII (47)

NEW YORK: With a partial power outage, an overly excited quarterback and a game that suddenly turned from snoozer to sizzler, CBS had its hands full at the Super Bowl.  The game fell short of setting a viewership record, but it stands as the third most-watched program in U.S. television history.

The Nielsen said an estimated 108.4 million people watched the Baltimore Ravens' 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The most-watched events in U.S. TV history were last year's game, seen by 111.3 million, and the 2010 game, with 111 million viewers.

The full article can be found here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-57567488/nielsen-108.4-million-people-watched-super-bowl/

 

Super Bowl XLVII: How We Watch and Connect Across Screens

According to Nielsen, Sunday's telecast of Super Bowl XLVII on CBS drew an average audience of 108.7 million viewers. The game, in which the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34 to 31, was viewed in 53 million homes and had a 46.4 U.S. household rating. The in-game blackout, being reported as a separated telecast, averaged 106.6 million viewers. Separate program reporting is typically done when there are delays in live programming.

The full article is available here and features a full list of the historic viewership figures of the Superbowl: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2013/super-bowl-xlvii-draws-108-7-million-viewers-26-1-tweets.html

Nielsen scrubs blackout, but Super Bowl ratings still drop

A power outage that plunged half the Superdome into darkness and stopped game play for 34 minutes put a damper on Sunday’s Super Bowl ratings, which came in behind the 2012 and ’11 games, making it the third most watched broadcast in TV history.

An average of 108.4 million people watched Sunday’s game, which morphed from a pre-blackout walkover into a post-blackout squeaker in which the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31.

Cheerleaders and the National Football League

Cheerleading has now become as bigger part of the NFL as the Quarterback and Super Bowl, all 3 are such long standing traditions within the game that people just accept it. Well I say everyone but there are some groups of people such as feminists who have openly criticised the idea of being a cheerleader.

Amy Trask- Former CEO of the Oakland Raiders

Amy Trask was the CEO of the Oakland Raiders for 25 years and recently resigned from her position. She was a shining example of overcoming gender adversity in the NFL as she was the only woman holding a position as powerful within the front office of an organisation, something that she only did.

Amy Trask resigns from Raiders

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Longtime Oakland Raiders chief executive officer Amy Trask resigned her position on Saturday, ending the tenure of one of the highest-ranking women in American professional sports.

Trask spent 25 seasons with the Raiders starting during their time in Los Angeles and continuing after the move to Oakland in 1995. She became CEO in 1997 and was one of late owner Al Davis' most trusted advisers before his death in October 2011.

The full article can be found here: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9265595/oakland-raiders-chief-executive-officer-amy-trask-resigns-25-seasons

Longtime Oakland Raiders CEO Amy Trask resigns

Earlier today, I informed Mark Davis of my decision to leave the Raiders," she said in a  statement. "Having honored a commitment that I made to effectuate a smooth transition and transfer of control, I no longer wish to remain with the organization. For over a quarter of a century, it was my honor and my privilege to work for the Raiders. I will forever appreciate the opportunity afforded me by Al Davis."

NFL's Most Powerful Woman Seeks Stadium Cure for Oakland Raiders Blackouts

Amy Trask may be the only chief executive in America whose routine includes hugging a gorilla, blowing kisses to the Violator and screaming encouragement to employees more than twice her size.

The full article is here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-09/nfl-s-most-powerful-woman-seeks-stadium-cure-for-oakland-raiders-blackouts.html

EA Sports Madden Series

EA Sports Madden

The EA Sports Madden is one of the most established and is up with their games such as Fifa in terms of Market share for EA Sports. The game itself is now into its 25th year and continues to be a staple among most male games players, especially in the United States.
This is the trailer for EA Sports Madden 13 shown above. The General feature of the trailer is based around the graphics and how much the game has improved on last year. This is carried out using the use of jargon such as 'Connected Careers' which is a similar feature to that of Fifa's Ultimate Team. This clearly shows that EA has set out to achieve a specific market share with a specific target audience, mainly males between the age of 16-30. Another feature that shows their clear target gender is that of the fact that they are focusing on the more defensive side of the game by showing the improved tackling motion rather than that of the offensive side of the ball. This means that they are demonstrating that they know what their target demographic wants to see.

Electronic Arts Sued over Madden Series The full article can be found here: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Electronic-Arts-Sued-Over-Madden-Series-87850.shtml

Lauren Silberman- Attempting to become the first professional woman player in the NFL

Lauren Silberman

Lauren Silberman was aiming to become the first woman to play in the National Football League, she was doing this in the hope that she could perhaps break down the gender barriers that had lasted since the sport became the Modern Era of the NFL in 1970.

Lauren Silberman stages pointless sideshow at regional combine

On the 4th of March 2013 Silberman did make history by becoming the first woman to try and make it into the National Football League when she took part in the regional combine in New Jersey.

She could have looked at the reporters from the 30-odd media outlets gathered at the New York Jets' facility, stared straight at the 20 television cameras filming this regional scouting combine and said:
"The NFL opened this amazing door for me. I am a young entrepreneur. I have created a product geared toward professional athletes and I would be a lousy businesswoman if I didn't seize this once-in-a-lifetime platform." - Quote taken from article on NFL.COM. The full article can be found hear along with two videos: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000146837/article/lauren-silberman-stages-pointless-sideshow-at-regional-combine

 

Lauren Silberman's bid to be NFL's first female player ends with injury

Lauren Silberman's history-making NFL tryout ended disappointingly quickly.

Silberman, the first woman to take part in a regional scouting combine sponsored by the NFL, suffered a leg injury and had to withdraw after just two kickoffs.

She pulled up after managing just 19 yards with her first kick-off and then 14 yards with her second effort. Silberman then spoke to a trainer and did not continue.

In December 2011, the barriers that prevented women from playing in the NFL were removed.

The full article can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/mar/04/lauren-silberman-woman-nfl-kicker

 

Move over Danica! Former soccer player set to make history as first woman in the NFL

Lauren Silberman, 28, will kick at an NFL regional scouting combine

It follows success of Wisconsin-born Nascar driver Danica Patrick

A 28-year-old woman from New York is set to become the first female to be given a try out for the NFL.

Lauren Silberman had never kicked anything more than a soccer ball in an organised game before she started practicing long-range field goals.

Now she has been given a chance at an NFL regional scouting combine on Sunday at the New York Jets' training facility in Florham Park, New Jersey.

 

The full article can be found here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2286432/Lauren-Silberman-Former-soccer-player-set-make-history-woman-NFL.html

The above article also clearly references Danica Patrick who is in her own right breaking down barriers within her sport, Nascar. Danica was the first women to compete within Nascar and has become successful whilst also having to face up to adversity.

 

A Football Life

I have placed these three videos here to show different images of the players to what their stereotypes are generally conceived as. Both of the above documentaries courtsey of NFL film and the NFL Network show both players doing activities outside of the sport that people wouldn't immediately think of.

The first documentary based around Ray Lewis shows him partaking in activities such as fitness classes with his daughter and visiting a terminally ill fan. The documentary shows Ray breaking down the traditional representation of gender within the sport such as that of big men who are intentionally out to hurt each other. The Ray Lewis documentary also discusses when he was charged with murder and how he had to overcome adversity to build up his reputation once more.

The second documentary shows Kurt Warner and how he has overcome adversity throughout his career so that he could play the sport he loves. The documentary also showed how he played whilst also looking after his disabled daughter which once again breaks down the original stereotype of NFL players. The documentary also highlights dedication which is something that is lacking within most sports and how he was out just to play the sport he loved.

The third documentary is based around Barry Sander who has been considered by many to be the best Running back in the history of the NFL. The documentary covers everything from his rise through high school, college and the National Football League. The documentary also highlights the relationship with his dad which was somewhat strained at times. Another feature of the documentary is the portrayal of Sanders who is portrayed as a humble man who just wanted to play the sport whilst trying to avoid the limelight as much as he could.

Introduction

I shall be looking at the representation of gender throughout American Football. I shall be doing this by looking at a variety of things such as why women have never made it to the top level of the sport on the field. I will also be going further into the sport and looking at the role of women in a variety of other reasons such as Cheerleaders. I shall also be looking at things such as the adverts that are broadcast during the Super Bowl as well as things such as the Nielsen Ratings and the costs of the game. Another feature that I shall be looking at is the difference in fans dependent on their gender. Finally I shall be looking at the Madden series of video games so that I can look at how they are marketed and whether they are marketed to attract things such as a specific gender or target demographic.