Michael AbrahamzonEnglish 1106 09Sports over the Years 

Over the past 50 years sports have changed for the best.  As I have been more interested in sports than anything in my life I have seen some changes in just the 10 to 15 years that I have been watching them.  There are some changes that have occurred that have hurt the name of some sports.  The biggest changes that have occurred in the past 50 years are the increase in popularity, the income athletes earn, and the increase in sports for women.           

              The increase of popularity in sports in the past couple of decades has been epic.  The top sports in America are the NFL, NBA, NASCAR, MLB, and college football.  From a poll taken by Harris Interactive in December 2006 the NFL was America’s favorite sport.  Major League Baseball came in second, college football third, auto racing fourth, and the NBA in fifth (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/01/31/americas_favorite_sports_and_favorite_sports_stars.htm).  In the past 20 years the NFL, college football, and NASCAR have increased in popularity, while men’s tennis and horse racing have decreased.  Take for instance, the Super Bowl.  The Super Bowl has been one of the most watched programs in the United States during the current year.  According to the Nielsen Television Rating there are about 80 million to 90 million people tuned into the Super Bowl at a given time. The first super bowl ever held had a rating of 22.6.  The Super Bowl that was held in 1997 had a rating of 43.3.  A rating is a percentage of televisions tuned into a certain program.  That is a big difference in 30 years. (http://www.acmi.canoe.ca/97NFLPlayoffs/tv_ratings.html)

            The income that athletes earn now compared to 50 years ago is over whelming.  The highest paid athlete in sports right now is Alex Rodriguez.  Alex Rodriquez brings in 21.6 million dollars per year just to play the sport the he loves.  In 1976 Hank Aaron was paid $250,000 per year.  Athletes make so much money now compared to 30 years ago it is unbelievable.  I can’t imagine how much money athletes going to make in another 30 years.  If fans keep paying the high prices to watch these amazing athletes I don’t see the demand of money the athletes make ever going down.            

                   As male sports keep getting more and more popular we do have to look at female sports.  Female sports have also been increasing in popularity. With the LPGA and the WNBA, it is great to see women being able to do the same things as men in sports after college.  Even though female sports aren’t as popular men it is still nice to see them get some glamour.  Female athletes like Michelle Wie, Mia Hamm, Venus and Serena Williams, and Danica Patrick are all becoming household names.  Fifty years ago the only female professional athletes either played tennis or were in the Olympics.  Even though female athletes don’t get as much media attention as male athletes, they should still be proud for everything that they have accomplished.           

              When asked about his thoughts on the changes that have occurred in sports my father stated, “I believe that most of the changes that have occurred are for the best, though things like steroids and fighting can deface the reputation of any sport.”  I agree with his statement.  Most of the changes are for the good, but with all the competitive athletes out there we will always have fights.  It is just a shame to see when the athletes take the fighting into the crowd like what happened in the Detroit Piston vs. Indiana Pacers game in 2005.             

                 Sports have changed tremendously over the past 50 years. Most of the changes have been good, but with all change you are going to have some bad.  Sports are a huge part of America, and I believe they will remain that way for years to come.  I am excited to see the changes that will occur in the next 50 years.  Hopefully, I will be able to witness them. 

References: http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/01/31/americas_favorite_sports_and_favorite_sports_stars.htmhttp://www.athletes.com/fun/a_totw26.htm

(http://www.acmi.canoe.ca/97NFLPlayoffs/tv_ratings.html)