[No dialogue].
>> Dr. Glaros:
Thank you very much.
I was listening to this talk
and thinking how are we going
to follow this.
I can't see the connection, but
now I can because of the last
comment you made, you
know, I am not a evolutionary
anthropologist, but my, I think
my colleagues would say we are
in some ways a product of human
technology, because there is so
much research about the ways
in which human evolution is
intertwined with tool use.
So, we are kind of, in parts,
self-made and prosthetic in that
sense, so I think that's really
provocative because the subject
that Craig and I are
going to talk about is
"Body and Sport in Greek
Antiquity and Today" and
the first thing I
want to say is I'm
not a classic specialist, and
I'm not a specialist in sports,
but I am an Anthropologist who
is very much interested in what
the body can tell us about the
status of the person in society,
and so that is my kind of my
segue into this subject matter.
That's something that I'm
interested in and I think about
continually about what the
body and the way the body is
conceptualized and talked about
and the practices of the body,
what do they show us about
the status of the person in a
particular society.
And clearly, from everything we
can see about the way the body
is used and depicted, in
Greek culture, in ancient Greek
culture, and I would say modern
Greek culture, since that's my
research interest, is very
revealing and can tell us an
awful lot about the way in which
we bring those ideas forward
into contemporary times.
So, the status of
sport in ancient Greece.
I am borrowing some notions from
a classic scholar from up the
road in Urbana, David Sandstone,
who describe sporting ancient
Greece as a ritual
sacrifice of human energy.
And this is kind of a
provocative statement, but I
think it is a really useful one
and it helps us understand just
that incredibly important role
that is fore played in ancient
Greek society, which has
resonances with today, and Craig
is going to talk more that.
We see it in not just the status
of the body in sport, but in you
know what was at stake, what
where people striving for?
You see here in this picture,
these two wrestlers are
competing over that cup.
It's a sacrificial vessel.
Might this be the
origin of the Stanley Cup?
Sacrificial vessels were a
very common form of prize, so we
start to see this intertwining
of ritual aspects, and sport.
In other words, sport is
not separate from ritual or
religious activity; sporting
events were at their heart,
religious events.
So, if sport is a ritual
sacrifice of human energy, then
what's the status
of the athlete?
And one of the things we can
say about the athlete in ancient
Greece is that he and using
the word advisedly, he is an
embodiment of virtuosity.
Virtue is both moral concept,
moral worth, but also a physical
concept, so the physical is
meant to reflect the moral, so
physical beauty, strength,
perfection, both in how you look
and how you perform is meant
to reflect on your moral worth.
From a ritual standpoint, the
athlete is both sacrificial
victim, if sport is a
ritual sacrifice that's a thing
sacrificed as bodily energy,
blood sweat and tears, and he is
the sacrificer.
So it's this
interesting dual position.
Whoever is the winner, the
champion is worthy of being
dedicated to the gods.
And so the bodily signs of the
ritual status of the athlete
that I'm going to talk about, I
am going to talk about three,
there are other things that we
could say, but three is always a
nice number for these
kinds of presentations.
So the first one is nudity.
The second one anointing with
the olive oil, which is such a
prominent part of Greek
Athletics, and then decoration
with crowns, like laurel leaves,
olive leaves, and fillets, these
woolen bands, you can see in
this illustration, I think you
can see a little bit, the red
color, this athlete here, and
you can tell he's the athlete,
because he's the nude one, is
being decorated with woolen
bands and fillets, and we'll
talk about the status of that.
And I do want to say if there
are any classic scholars in the
room, I would love it if you
would chime in because I am
about up to here you know
in terms of my expertise.
I don't necessarily
have a handle on this.
Except for the ways in which
ancient practices resonate with
Modern Greek practices.
Alright so nudity, clearly the
word for nudity, the word for
naked in Greek [unclear
dialogue] give us
gymnastics, gymnasium.
Being naked you know is a
characteristic of being
an athlete.
The words are
interchangeable because of this
tight connection.
Sandstone speculates that this
may be connected to initiation
rituals, although he is not
entirely sure, and so this line
drawing taken from a Greek
ceramic shows athletes getting
nude, anointing themselves
with that olive oil, preparing.
Nudity then is you know a way of
setting off marking yourself
as distinctive.
Athletes applied olive oil
before competition, and then
they would scrape it off along
with all the sweat and the dust,
afterwards with this tool called
strigil, and that's what this
athlete is doing
in this picture.
What's interesting is that
Greeks also anointed
statues of gods.
And I hope you can hear when I
am using the word anoint and I
am using that word deliberately.
We have a lot of ritual
connotations with this
word, right?
It came through Christianity.
"Christos" means the anointed
one, so this carries over, we
have a lot of associations
with anointing.
So if athletes are anointed
in this special way, they are
marking the body.
Something special
is happening here.
Now the woolen fillets, what is
interesting, here on the right,
is an athlete who is wearing
woolen bands, red woolen bands.
Over here it is a little harder
to see, but these women are
decorating sacrificial
bowls with woolen fillets.
So this is the aspect of the
athlete as sacrificial victim.
That's what is
being highlighted.
Being decorated with the same
kind of thing, being drawn into
the same context.
And of course, the crowns of
laurel and olive, which are such
a symbol of victory, and again,
Christian thought borrowed
those, right?
In a lot of different
contexts, martyrs as victors,
being crowned.
Again these crowns of
vegetation, they could be olive
leaves, they could be
laurel leaves, these are
also ritually important.
Priests and priestesses would
wear these crowns in the context
of conducting sacrifice and here
you see a victorious athlete
offering a burnt sacrifice.
And here is the
wing and goddess.
Nike we would say.
I wouldn't say that personally,
in Greek pronunciation but
that's how we know
her winged victory.
So, again, you see that the
athlete is both sacrificial
victim, and sacrificer.
Marked out by bodily signs,
nudity, anointing, special
decorations that signify
the athletes' ritual status.
And all of this is to serve a
notion that the athlete in both
their physical aspect, and their
moral conduct, are an embodiment
of the highest possible virtue
that somebody could reach
in society.
And I think this is a good
point, at which to let Craig
take over.
I am going to
bring up his slides.
>> Dr. Craig Eckert: 
Thank you.
>> Dr. Glaros: 
What did you call your--?
>> Dr. Eckert: 
I think it starts with Greek.
>> Dr. Glaros:
Greek Ideals in Athens?
>> Dr. Eckert: 
Perfect.
Since I have no technological, I
do have some of my students in
here know that I don't mess
with PowerPoint, I feel very
uncomfortable with it.
>> Dr. Glaros: 
You just give me one of
these and I'll--
>> Dr. Eckert:
Dr. Glaros is going to bring me
and glide me through the
presentation, but I'd like to
start this way.
I think this was a perfect way
to go off of what Angela was
just speaking about.
How many of you watch
sports, you care about sports?
Ok, perfect.
How many of you saw the, I am
not a Cardinal fan, so I'll have
to tell you, my ex-wife was a
card, I don't want to go there.
What's the first thing that
happened immediately after the
San Francisco Giants won game
seven of that playoff game?
What's one of the first,
obviously the players got
together and started jumping
around, but as the cameras came
in what's one of the
first things that happened?
If you can answer this right,
you can come up and get do
the rest of the presentation.
>> Student:
They started lighting cars
on fire.
>> Dr. Eckert:
Well, ok, not the people out
in San Francisco.
Right.
How about the players
themselves, anyone can think
of the first thing, give their
first name, there in the back?
>> Student:
I didn't see it, but did they
through their arms up in
the air [unclear dialogue]?
>> Dr. Eckert: 
Sure, ok that's true, and that's
kind of ritual, but not really.
I'm kind of giving a hint.
Jack, let me have your hat.
Ok, adorning with crowns, you
watch the super bowl, you watch
NBA championship, LeBron James
did it immediately upon the
Miami Heat, first thing they are
doing they are putting on that
hat that has NBA Champion.
It has National League
Pennant Winners, right?
So, I think you can make that
extension almost to that crown.
How about boxing?
What's one of the first
things they do at the end of any
championship bout?
The Belt!
Right?
So we see this parallel to what
Angela is putting up there from
the Greeks.
I know Jack you are getting
very nervous that I was going to
take that Bulls hat, right?
But we see that same kind of
a thing taking place, right?
That there is a ritualistic
adornment, right, there's
putting on that hat, there's
putting on that belt that's
going to separate the athlete,
the champion, especially, from
the non-athlete.
So I think that's a
good way to start it.
How about if we move, I
thought that was a nice kind of
introduction into what I was
going to be speaking about, and
it's going to really fit with
one of the, there's one little
PowerPoint thing that takes
about four minutes, that I am
going to beg you to let me show,
because if you don't cry you are
not human, I'll argue, and I
think it really gets at this
idea of moral virtue and what
sports is supposed to reflect,
not what it necessarily does.
So, let's try, Angela can you
click on this one, "How bad" as
an example of ritual?
Perfect.
I hope this is going
to be Ray Lewis.
>> Video: 
There was a young man
who wanted to make a lot of
money so he went to this guru,
right, and told
the guru, I want
to be on the same
level you are on.
>> Dr. Eckert: 
Ok, we can click out of this
one, it will take too long.
Can we X out?
Yeah.
How about this one?
>> Dr. Glaros: 
Pump Up?
Hornbuckle?
>> Dr. Eckert: 
Yeah, yeah, let's go to Pump Up.
I think this is the one.
No, no, that's
Stealing My Thunder.
Not that pumping up.
Let's not go there.
Ok.
This is what I want.
Thank you.
This is perfect.
[Video Plays] Alright,
right this is perfect.
Really pay attention.
All right, this just takes
a minute, perfect ending.
That's perfect.
Angela you can stop there.
I really can't take Tim Tebow.
I don't know why I put
that on there, but
>> Dr. Glaros: 
Because he performs the ritual.
>> Dr. Eckert: 
The ritual, and now I, that was
perfect, I just can't
do it, this late in
the afternoon, but you
saw Ray Lewis
right, and Drew Brees, 
perfect examples.
If you went to any football
field from Junior
football league, right
up into the NFL
you are going to see
that ritualistic
performance, right
before kickoff.
You are going to see those
athletes, you are going to see
it during Calisthenics, and then
right before those refs blow the
whistle, the kick-off is
going to start, you've seen the
perfect example of ritual.
You can see it in baseball, from
again, little league, all the
way up to the major leagues,
where the kids are going to come
together around the coach, the
players are going to come around
the manager, they are going to
be chanting, they are going
to be you know, pumping their
fists, they are going to be
doing the whole series of
things, and that's from whether
we are talking about four
year olds, to forty year olds.
So I thought that was a good
depiction of the idea of ritual
before a sporting event.
Ok, I think we've got the
Hornbuckle one, we don't need to
go, if I could go to
our next slide Angela.
I hope.
Ok, all right, now, I think
this is another thing
off of Angela's presentation.
And it fits with that idea of
praise, and the champion,
and signification and sports is
supposed to have been viewed
with some kind of virtue, so if
we don't have to, yeah, we
can do the Ray Lewis.
How about that?
And I'll make a real
contrast here.
[Ray Lewis Video plays]
>> Ray Lewis: 
Sometimes God removes you
from thinking about games
all the time.
You know, I know this kid that I
had been mentoring, Jesus and
he felt the pain in the
shoulder, he realized he had
bone cancer, and I've been
helping him out, I've
been helping him out as much as
I could, and last week, you
know, his mother called and
said, Jay is really ill.
Jay is really going through it,
and I was like Ok I'm going
to get over there as soon as
this game is over, you know?
And I got the call probably
[unclear dialogue] and
Jay didn't make it.
You know, this 17-year-old kid.
So sometimes that's why you
have got to sum up
the game sometimes.
You've got to say
how important is life?
Because this is a 17-year-old
kid that was just waiting for me
to come to speak to him, but a
game pulled me away from that.
>> Dr. Eckert: 
All right.
That's perfect.
Stop that right.
Seventeen-year-old kid that
died, but the game took
me away from that.
If we could just go down to
the next, Ok, let me make the
contrast, let me do this.
Well, here's Ray Lewis, and this
is a contemporary picture of him
and if you know anything about
Ray Lewis and his biography,
he's become one of seventeen
year NFL, he's going to go into
the Hall of Fame, one of
the most famous linebackers,
certainly of this generation
and the history of the NFL.
But there's been a real
conscience attempt to
reconstruct his biography.
Right now he's one of
the most sought
after motivational speakers.
I mean you can't help but be
riveting when that charisma that
he just evokes, the way he plays
on the field, but the other
side, the reason for having
to reconstruct and in
view this moral virtue.
Look what he said, right?
That we need to start thinking
about the worth, I couldn't be
there for a seventeen year old
kid for whom I've formed a bond,
because I had to take part in
an NFL game, and the clip I
wanted to show, it takes about
two minutes, that's why I've
got some other things I wanted
to show, is Diane Sawyer
doing the report.
Many of you may have forgot by
now, at the Superbowl in
Atlanta, Ray Lewis was charged
as an accessory
to a murder, right?
That he at the very least,
without question, he witnessed
the murder and did nothing
to stop it.
And he pled out to a lesser
charge, and that is completely
[unclear dialogue] You
never hear that as part of his
biography, now, right?
He's found God, he's become a
motivational speaker, he's done
all the things a PR firm
would love, right?
To clean up his act with very
positive results.
So, I took that clip
specifically to show this idea
of moral virtue, but
reconstructing the athletes
profile from convict,
potentially convicted murderer,
to sought-after public speaker,
and motivational person.
Can we do this one, and then
I'll just talk about?
This is only like a
minute, perfect.
[Video Plays]
>> Lance Armstrong: 
I want to talk to you about
what Livestrong
Day means to me.
October 2 was the day I was
diagnosed with cancer, and
thrown in the fight of my life.
I made it through ok, but this
day, fifteen years later, cancer
was the world's
leading cause of death.
Too many people around the world
are fighting for their lives,
right this minute,
without the resources,
treatment and
support they need.
We have to change that.
Today, Livestrong Day is a
challenge, a global day of
action, where we stand together,
to declare we won't retreat from
the fight against cancer.
It's a day when we wear yellow
to show the strength of our
community and to encourage
others to join us in the fight.
Show your support, wear yellow
with me on October 2, Join the
fight at
Livestrong.or/livestrongday
>> Dr. Eckert: Lance Armstrong
has raised billions of dollars
to the fight against, I
took this clip perfectly.
Why would I take that one,
in light of the last week?
Moral virtue.
You couldn't, one of the
most heroic seven time Tour De'
France champion, one of the
most recognized athletes
in the world.
Why would I put him up
there for moral virtue?
Anybody read the
paper in the last week?
Adam?
Excuse me.
Completely stripped
of all his medals.
He's been fighting USADA, United
States Anti-Doping Agency, whose
alleged that he's taken part
in all kinds of using banned
substances, procedures that
would enhance his performance,
he's denied, he's denied,
he's denied, he's denied, spent
millions of dollars fighting the
case, and about three weeks ago,
he just said I'm
going to stop fighting.
And now a whole series of his
teammates have come forward and
said they were complicit, he
definitely doped, he asked them
to dope with him, and he
asked them to hide what he did.
The moral virtue, and then
the fall of the athlete.
All right I took Ray Lewis,
and Lance Armstrong,
as a perfect example.
On one hand, embodying virtue,
and on the other hand,
the demise.
Right?
This one, we don't need to clip,
if you, more NCAA division one
Champ, victories than anyone,
until about a year ago, right,
and then some of those victories
were stripped and then three
people, one person, already put
away, and two people who still
await trial, for
essentially helping to, at least
institutionally
sanction the rape of boys.
So, you know, one of the
most respected, iconic, sports
figures virtue, gave millions
of dollars to Penn State, the
Library is named after Joe
Paterno, the height again of
moral virtue, always speaking
about the positive role of
education in athletics, and his
whole image is now tarnished.
Who's going to associate the
word virtue with Joe Paterno,
rightly or wrongly in light of
his behavior and the potential
of good still to be found in
the courts of the complicity and
allowing the using of Penn State
as an institution where this
kind of behavior could be
sanctioned, could be taking
place, and fostered.
>> Dr. Glaros: Lance Armstrong
is even more apt example because
it was the status of his body
that wrecked his virtue, because
his body was found to be full of
chemicals that he'd put there.
>> Dr. Eckert: Right, right.
Perfect.
Perfect point.
Oh can we just go to that clip
that John, again with the idea
of crowning and
being recognized.
[video plays] We can
go really far, I think.
There's the hat, already has it.
Game isn't even seconds over,
already had his NFL Superbowl
champion hat on, Michael
Strahand, the hat already on,
there you go, right, holding
the medal, as it were, like the
crowning, Perfect, that's
good Angela, right there.
And we don't need to show that
one, it's just the one I quizzed
you on, but you did poorly on.
Knowing that the giants put
on their hats immediately.
Ok, we'll go to the next slide.
I'm begging, you've got to;
you can spare me four minutes.
It's worth it.
I just hope you've got a
handkerchief, that's all
I'll tell you.
Angela, they are not walking
out, so we're going to do it.
>> Video: Imagine being a
teenage girl, thinking about the
day you'll get your driver's
license, going to see movies
with your friends, playing
sports you love, now imagine
that all changes because
of a degenerative and
untreatable disease.
That's exactly what happened to
a young woman I met recently,
but thanks to an ordinary
four-legged friend, she's
>> Dr. Eckert: Just think
of the word virtue.
>>Video: Back to
doing what she loves.
Sixteen-year-old Sammy
Stoner loves running
with her dog, Chloe.
But Sammy and Chloe aren't
any ordinary running partners.
Chloe is Sammy's guide dog.
Sammy, a high school
cross-country athlete is blind.
How long have you been running.
I've been running since I was in
8th grade when before my vision
started going bad.
For months she and her
family didn't know what was
causing the decline.
It was a pretty tough time.
I think it was tough on Sammy;
it was definitely tough on us.
She was diagnosed with
Stargardt's disease.
It's an inherited condition that
causes central vision loss, and
renders its
sufferer's legally blind.
Losing her sight has been so
trying for someone so young.
If there was one thing that you
could see just one more time,
and have a good look at one
more time, what would that be?
Probably my family's faces.
It's kind of tough not being
able to see their face, or my
face; it's terrible not
knowing what you look like.
>> Dr. Eckert: You know, in a
bigger depiction of this, for
E60-3 for ESPN, she said
she's never really seen
herself in a mirror.
>> Video: I mean that's
something every teenager
looks forward to.
Running is still an option.
If you love something enough,
then you'll find a way to do it,
even if you do have
struggles with it.
And Sammy doesn't just run, she
runs cross-country, through the
woods for miles on end.
That's where Chloe came in.
Since Sammy got her last summer,
they've been training non-stop,
learning to move together,
and build up Chloe's endurance.
It's hard enough to get a person
to be dedicated to running.
Yeah, I can't imagine
what it would require
with a puppy, nonetheless.
It's been a huge learning
experience but she really is
doing a great job.
The state initially wouldn't let
Sammy and Chloe run on the team.
But the school
fought for her, and won.
We devised a plan where she
could possible run in the
competitive situation, in
the same event.
Meanwhile, Chloe was
fitting right in on the team.
Watch as she takes part
in the pre-race ritual.
>> Dr. Eckert: Ritual, right?
>> Video: We have 48 runners on
the team and then came Chloe, so
we are a family of 49 runners.
Here Chloe.
And those she's all work on the
course, when the harness does
come off, she changes,
her demeanor changes.
She is one playful pup.
You are irresistible.
Finally after all of their hard
work, the time came for Sammy
and Chloe to run their race.
[Unclear dialogue] That day,
Sammy ran her personal best.
That's the best she's ever run.
And in the end, this inspiring
teen and her pup achieved their
goal, and crossed the
finish line together.
She just faces every day with
the most positive attitude we
could ever hope for.
I am really happy we can be the
inspiration with Chloe, because
we really can do anything.
>> Dr. Eckert:
That's good, Angela.
I'm sorry, I am still choked.
I'm like a ridiculously
sensitive male.
I hate it.
When you watch the extended
version, my oldest daughter is a
graduate student, came in and
goes dad what the hell is the
matter, I was like sobbing,
where I just couldn't even get.
If you see this is what I
wanted to put in for virtue.
When you do a more focused
interview with the parents, and
something that this is more like
a feel good story, the parents
share with them their daughter
never finished anything other
than last, in every race
that she ran in high school.
And you see them saying that,
and their are starting to like
break down, but you can feel and
see the pride that they have in
their daughter, as the
coach saying, running
her personal best.
And to me that depicts more the
virtue that is in sports, right?
Where the competition so often
is from within, to see how far
is a woman that is legally blind
, who was able to use that dog
and strive each time out to do
better and better, to where she
can achieve a personal best.
But yet, finish last, and I
think that's an interesting kind
of dichotomy, but to me
it captures the real
virtue in sports.
The competition in
itself, with yourself.
Cool.
Thank you.
I'm glad you guys didn't cry.
Well, virtue in sports.
Virtue.
Let's go to this one,
this is a good one.
>> Video: Tiger Woods, the most
famous golfer in the world, one
of the most famous
people in the world.
One car accident, here's
what we know about it.
It happened here in Windermere
>> Dr. Eckert: And you can tell
this is an old clip, right?
And I did it on purpose.
>> Video: and it hit a tree.
He was semi-conscience,
or unconscious for
a number of minutes.
His wife used a golf club
to bash in the back
window to rescue him.
One of the things we do
know, there's an awful
lot we don't know.
And we interviewed the chief of
police here in Windermere FL, to
get his take on what happened.
He was on the ground
semi-unconscious and had
lacerations on upper and lower
lip, so our first response was
to render first aid to him.
We certainly don't know what
happened, the hospitals says it
a minor injury, injuries
were just seen on his mouth.
Why do you think he was
semi-conscience or unconscious?
You know, I don't know the
officers there say he was
semi-unconscious and out of it
for several minutes, but he did
have blood coming out of his
mouth, but the officers also
said it did not look
life-threatening, the injuries.
The car was drivable, so why did
his wife have to bash it in
with a golf club?
From our understanding, she
explained to the officers the
doors were locked and
she could not get in
>> Dr. Eckert:
[snickers] yeah ok.
>> Video: So she used the golf
club to smash the windows
to gain entry.
She had a golf club
with her at the time.
I don't know where the
golf club came from.
>> Dr. Eckert: She
carries a nine iron.
Everyone does.
>> Video: I certainly don't want
to put words in your mouth, but
does this sound a little unusual
or suspicious, this case?
It sounds unusual, but
like I said, we are not an
investigative agency, so you
know we were first responders on
a mutual way to help him out.
And we didn't know it was
Tiger Woods, we just heard
there was a male down.
There is currently a lot
more investigating to do.
In charge of the investigation
now is the Florida Highway
Patrol, because this happened in
an unincorporated part of Orange
County, Florida, not
actually within the town
limits of Windermere.
>> Dr. Eckert:
That's fine, Angela.
And the reason I think you can
guess, the reason I took this
one, the three of the most
recognized athletes in the
world, Michael Jordan, Muhammad
Ali, and Tiger Woods, and I
couldn't find this image, but I
wanted to get, but it's a famous
Christmas card of Tiger Woods,
his then what now ex-wife, his
two children, and then I can't
remember if it is one or two
golden retrievers, and it's like
an idyllic, you couldn't get a
better Christmas card perfect
smiles, idyllic family, and then
I just wanted to juxtapose it
with a golf club going through
the back window, kind
of the fall from grace.
The putting athletes up on a
pedestal, almost god-like, and
then finding out that sometimes
the Emperor has no clothes.
I'm not going to, this is malice
in the palace, a riot breaks
out, I wish, I don't want to
take up a lot of time, but the
first one is, you know, it only
runs about a minute or two, can
I just show it real quick?
It's black and
white, which I like.
I don't know if you
remember black and white.
Some of you out there I think
>> Video: We played Houston.
It was a hell of a team.
We played against Houston,
they had the phyical play,
we had the speed.
There was a lot of lip
service that was going on.
I know I never had a lip service
that [unclear dialogue]
the game was uneventful.
I think I remember the
second half or something
a ball goes off,
>> Dr. Eckert: This will be real
quick. I promise we'll stop
>> Video: I rebounded,
me, Kevin, and
Kareem, went for a rebound.
The ball was long, and Houston
was running on a fast break, we
are coming down on a fast break,
John Lukes has the ball, Rudy's
coming one way, I'm coming the
other, I foul Kevin, trying to
get [unclear dialogue] I
grab his hip, and try to propel
myself in front of him, to
catch up to the guys that
were going out on court.
Which wasn't out of the
ordinary, we've all done it,
I've done it a thousand
times, well, he elbows me,
with is left elbow in the face.
The elbows not to hurt,
it's meant to get off.
So when he turned around and I
thought he was going to say I'm
sorry, but he it me like this,
then I said, you, well that's
not a mistake, so then we start
swinging on each other, the
instinct for any player who
see an incident like that
>> Dr. Eckert: Just watch.
I promise you, it's like
another thirty seconds.
>>Video:  to stop the fight, so
that's where I, he pushes Kareem
away, now Rudy of course the
caption of the Rockets, was in
one lane, he is running
towards Jabar and Kevin,
and to calm Kevin down,
>> Dr. Eckert: Now, you've
got to watch right here.
>> Video backing up, looks over
his shoulder, he turned and saw
Rudy running toward him, and
basic instinct is to turn this
way, He stops, plants and I saw
the punch coming, and Rudy was
running, and saw the punch
coming also, but through his
hands up to protect him, of
course, the punch goes over it,
>> Dr. Eckert: Now, you
can stop it right there.
If you don't, Kareem Abjul-Jabar
compares it to hearing a
grapefruit just being completely
smashed and Rudy Tom Jonovich's
career was never, broke so many,
he had to have major plastic
surgeries, and it
effectively ended his career.
If you saw his head whiplash,
right it hit, and this is wooden
gym floor, not like today where
they are cushioned and stuff.
And again, the idea of heroism,
and virtue and how to set square
with an incident like that right
out, and I'll explain at the end
why I keep doing this.
I think we only have one more,
oh the athletic body let's do
Chris, no let's do Mr. Olympian.
Yeah let's do that.
Because I think this fits with,
nope that won't do it; I've got
the wrong one there.
All right, lets do Amanda Baird.
We'll do her.
Yeah, this'll be good.
Does everyone know
who Amanda Baird is?
She broke Olympic swimmer,
really came to notoriety I
believe in the 96 Olympics,
fourteen-year-old
amazing gold medal winner.
Well why do you
have these up there?
OK, the body is temple.
But to me in a sociology class,
it always raises the image, the
issue and I really enjoyed, I
am always amazed at some of the
opinions women have of is she
being, are women athletes taken
seriously for the athletic
prowess, or is it that they are
using their athletic prowess
to pedal themselves and market
themselves in terms of potential
careers as models etc. Amanda
Baird raised some notoriety
because she was one of the first
swimmers to accept a playboy
centerfold and adamantly said
that she believed that she was
being a positive role model for
young women, she was proud
of her body, and had
no problem whatsoever.
She understood that while
people could criticize her, but
nonetheless, she did it.
I think I must have messed up my
files, because I had one of male
body builders, any of you
have ever seen a body
building competition.
What do the guys have?
Oil.
They literally oil their bodies,
so I thought it would have been
a perfect thing.
Somehow I got Mohammad Ali in
an oil clip, I don't know how I
messed that one up, so I
apologize for my lack of
technological sophistication.
All right, let's go to
the, I think I have one more.
Mind and body. Ok.
And you always hear this thing
about I promise I'll bring this
to a conclusion here, we hear
about this idea of mind and
body, and the Greeks thinking
these things should be on the
same level, and again, I
defer to any, you people have
forgotten more than I may know
about Greek, or the Greeks, or
Greek ideas of sports, but many
Greek philosophers were actually
critical of athletic figures in
that they said they overdid the
cultivation of their bodies,
and did not do enough to be
cultivating their minds.
So I thought a perfect example
here, and we don't have to show
the clip, of maybe the Greek
ideal was Andrew Luck right who
stayed in school for, got his
degree at Stanford, was someone
being thought about for a Rhodes
scholarship, received numerous
awards academic all American,
right kind of fitting the ideal
of that harmony
between mind and body.
Now, obviously, this is the
exception, especially the
division one sports level, but
it kind of embodies that ideal
of mind and body
going hand in hand.
I think we may have one more.
Oh, and then the final thing is,
and this was definitely true of
the Olympic games in ancient
Greece, the athletes were
supposed to reflect positively
on the particular city states
that they represented.
I think we find a
parallel certainly in modern day
Olympics, so that we, I just
took these still shots, there's
no YouTube, I think you all know
that Brandy Chestain, and that's
not the typical picture we see.
The typical picture is usually
Brandy Chestain, doing what?
Right. Pulling her shirt off and
revealing your Nike sports bra,
and that's the iconic picture.
But to me, the more important
one was this is after the US
women and who helped bring
women's soccer right to the
forefront after a victory
running around with the American
Flag, and we see that this
in almost any victorious any
athlete who is victorious in the
Olympics, grabbing that flag,
running the track, getting
up on the pedestal,
being crowned with the medal.
And then I thought another good
iconic picture was the dream
team with Michael Jordan,
Scotty Pippen, Larry Bird, Clyde
Drexel, you see them
adorning themselves, now this is
interesting though from a
sociological point of view,
because they are draping
themselves in the American Flag,
also to hide the logo of Adidas,
because Michael Jordan is a Nike
Sponsor, and that is how he got
the rest of the team to agree to
put the flag around him, right,
so it wasn't just to evoke
nationalism, it was so that he
kept on the good side of Nike.
As their principle spokesperson.
I don't think, do
I have one more?
Ok I just wanted to
conclude this way.
And I appreciate it, can I get a
little hand for Angela, because
I couldn't have done that.
Thank you.
I really do appreciate that.
I just wanted to
conclude this way.
The reason I kept doing these
parallels is I had a student one
time in my sociology
sports class go, "Dr.
Eckert do you ever talk about
anything positive about sports?"
and it really struck me.
The question has always been
with me, and I had to answer,
and I go I feel like we
take the positive for granted.
We take that idea of virtue, we
take the idea of sports building
character, we take those kinds
of things for granted, and we
don't I think critically assess
but isn't there a down side to
some of this right?
So, I think anytime I give a
talk about sports, I come off as
if I am not, I am very much, I
think there is so many positive
things about sports, but I think
it's always important to look at
that contrast between that ideal
of what we think sports are
about, versus the reality that
we see when we subject sports to
a sociological lens.
We look at it a little more
critically so I wanted to thank
Angela very much, I really want
to thank my former student Chris
Duncan for putting these slides,
but I am changing his grade.
That Muhammad Ali slide got
in there, I'm going to
change the grade.
