Learning and Taking it all in

5-19-11

Wow. Today has been such a great day. We haven’t even toured anything in London but the amount I am learning here is substantial. I started the day with a run with Dr. Gerlich ( well he biked) but none-the-less it was nice company. I was also told I was going to shoot a remake of the Beatles walk down Abbey Road for all three teachers. I love knowing I was picked for that task and can’t wait to see that historical sight.

We met with the GM of Chelsea Soccer today and it was great to hear his insight on branding and how the stadium has been rebuilt. He had a great take on how to get fans to the games and also the brand worldwide. He was very knowledgeable on the game of soccer and he knew what it took to be a championship team. I loved hearing about all the facilities and how well the players are treated. I remember when I used to dream of making a difference and being that star athlete in a professional team. 

The meeting was followed by lunch at a nice little sandwich shop right outside of the ISA offices. We sat outside a while and enjoyed the nice day. It is sunny today in London and beautiful. 

After lunch we headed back for class. I was so tired but we watched a movie on militarism, gender in sports, and different civil rights movements. During the movie I was really struck by the militarism and the gender in sports. It made my eyes open so much on America’s military and how we exploit them during sporting events. Is this right? Is it okay to have so much pride we must venture off from the reason we are really there? That reason being, to watch the sport. It is crazy also to think what the military hides from us. We talked about Pat Tillman and how his story was made up and retold. It’s scary to think what else is being hidden from us, not just with sports, but with real life. 

Then came the big issue for me, gender in sports. We all know woman have not always been treated fairly in sports but it was sad to learn that less than 1% of women’s sports is televised now as opposed to 20 years ago. I seriously am perplexed. As an athlete, it makes me wish I could make a bigger difference. We also talked about the way woman are exploited in advertisements. This is huge. We all know sex sells but why can’t woman athletes just be known for what they are. And if they are known it’s very few of them. 

The whole discussion got me really thinking. I thank God I have such knowledgeable teachers. I really think that the teachers I have are the best of the best. Not only are they friends, but they are experts in world issues. I wish to become as smart as them and to be able to be as worldly as they are. 

Today was really a monumental day and I’m still taking it all in. This makes me want to research and really get to know the issues around America and why other countries are so much more humble and respectful. Tonight we are going on the historical Jack the Ripper tour and I can’t wait. A group of ten of us are going and I’m excited for us to learn and be a little scared. ( ok who am I kidding, i might tete as DL would say). For now, Cheers. 

Queen Mary's Rose Garden

Lake in the Garden