Sports and Awareness

Last week we were talking about how politics and sports are related. I was surprised that everything was going on with Penn State happened that same time but even more surprised that I would actually be supporting the way sports and politics work together. If you are my facebook friend then you probably got invited to an event this past weekend about having a nationwide blue-out (the child abuse ribbon color) at games across America. My brother-in-law T.J. came up with the idea, thinking that since there is so much media attention on what happened at Penn State, if every fan for every team had a blue-out for child abuse awareness it would redirect the media's attention to the more important issue. In a few years we shouldn't remember the coaches or the "scandal" (it bothers me that we call it a scandal). We should remember that it brought about something good. We should remember that the United States sports teams help to unite America to fight child abuse. Now, wouldn't that have been cool?

Only 65 people said they were attending the event, but at least I tried. I ended up using social media as a form of activism and attempted to use sports as a platform for uniting America towards a cause. It did not work like I had hoped but I was surprised that I would even try. I never would have done that last semester. It seems like this class is making more active in using social media for doing more things than just being social. I’ve even gotten into the habit of changing my status to promote almost all the causes that I am a fan of. Just last week I was advertising that people go to Orange Leaf in Indianapolis because that day part of the money was going to a little girl with cancer. I am doing stuff like that all the time now. So while I am not a huge fan of the military frequently using sports to promote themselves in the ways they have, I am not afraid to use social media to do the same thing with child abuse awareness.