John K. Laub
The purpose of this unit is to encourage students to explore college and professional football and to pursue research to ignite their intellectual curiosity in consumer culture. Specifically, the lessons require students to synthesize their knowledge of football films, business acumen, and historical inquiry with reflection on their own consumer habits. Students will explore and analyze sources as well as data acquired throughout the unit to understand the football industry and its impact on consumer culture.
I teach social studies in an urban magnet arts high school. We have students from the city of New Haven and surrounding suburban communities: a very diverse student body from all socio-economic, racial, and religious backgrounds. Every student studies an art (dance, music, chorus, visual arts, theatre or creative writing) and must earn three social studies credits in order to graduate. As seniors having fulfilled their requirements, many students take an elective course in social studies. In organizing this unit, I envisioned working closely with students who enjoy filmmaking in my History Through Film course, which is an elective. The lessons will be coordinated within the framework of the social studies curriculum in New Haven, which is outlined in Appendix A at the end of the unit plan.
When inspecting the statistics of incoming freshmen at colleges and universities across the country, I find it stunning that only 43% of the students are boys.
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Scholars and educators are looking at the causes of low attendance of young men and strategies on how to keep boys interested in intellectual matters. In Why Boys Fail, author Richard Whitmire provides some grim numbers for young boys in school: they are more than four times likely than girls to be expelled from pre-school and they endure greater attention-deficit ailments.
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Boys are also behind girls on state-wide standardized tests for both reading and writing. As a result, many boys' intellectual aspirations and career dreams have fallen behind those of their female peers. In the early 1990s, educational reforms focused on getting students ready for college and focused on increased reading and writing skills. Unfortunately, boys have not adjusted to the new paradigm in education as easily. Whitmire states that parents must promote literacy at home and allow young sons to engage in reading no matter the topic or subject in the book. "Just keep them reading. The largest gender gaps are found in writing skills," Whitmire writes.
As a teacher, I witness first hand the difference between boys and girls in classroom studies, and I am very concerned about the lack of young men on college campuses. In an attempt to spark intellectual endeavor and curiosity, I explore two subjects that enthrall some boys: football and business. The History Through Film elective provides the perfect opportunity to think outside the box, and hopefully, spark boys' academic curiosity and keep them focused on pursuing a bachelor's degree. Girls are also able to register for this course and female sports fans would surely enjoy all of the historical rigor and creative assignments throughout the lessons.
While young women likely see themselves as consumers in modern America, many boys do not make the same connection. During the 1950s, many Americans believed that shopping and consumption pertained only to the woman's world. Popular culture and advertising executives fostered a bias viewpoint in which men earned the family income while women made purchases and spent it. However, Playboy magazine, a ground-breaking venture, illustrated men's consumer desires and promoted new avenues and marketing strategies that catered to male consumers, who are an underappreciated social and historical topic. Technological advances in the last fifty years have provided the ideal opportunity to match products with male customers. Bonding over their favorite college or pro football teams since the beginning of the sport, male gridiron consumers and NFL executives have benefited greatly by this relationship. Fans' desires and willingness to purchase football-related goods and services have driven this multi-billion dollar industry. Students will hopefully appreciate themselves as consumers, not just as fans, after completing this unit.
Equipped with the latest technology in our school, I constantly use PowerPoint presentations to provide information and guide instruction. In order to "hook" students on individual lessons, topics for Socratic discussions are offered throughout the narrative, and homework assignments are provided at the end of the unit. Students will scrutinize historical films and documentaries throughout the unit, and employ critical thinking in order to analyze television broadcasts, product advertisements and federal court rulings.
An examination of the history of college football will provide students with vital knowledge to incorporate a better understanding of the game's impact on American consumer culture. Students will also investigate how the NFL markets and brands its product to fans, and the roles of NFL owners, commissioners, and players in the front offices and on the field. At the conclusion of the unit, students will work in groups and complete one of five final projects outlined in the assignment section.
