I found this article very interesting in that it isn't about the normal issues I associate with weight and sport. Most of the time when I think about weight issues and athletes, I think about body image issues and athletes trying to conform to the socially accepted view of fitness and thinness. However, John Daly and Laura Davies, the overweight athletes in this article show little remorse for their size and athletic ability (Jamieson, Stringer, & Andrews, 2008).
Something I found interesting about this article is was how Daly was able to capitalize from his weight issues through sponsorships from a fast food chain, Dunkin’ Donuts, and a weight loss program, TrimSpa. The authors of the article make a good point that weight programs depend on people like Daly to promote their product and healthy living, while simultaneously depending on fast food corporations to sustain their client base (Jamieson, Stringer, & Andrews, 2008). Davies did not see the same capital gain from her weight issues and larger than life personality but rather was considered to have “personality flaws” (Jamieson, Stringer, & Andrews, 2008, p. 158).
My thoughts about athletes who may be overweight are strictly related to the athletes overall physical health and psychological wellbeing. When it comes to performance, it is clear from this article and the two athletes discussed, you can be successful and overweight. What I think is most important is for the athlete to be healthy enough for competition and do not have any body image issues that could result in dangerous behavior, like eating disorders.
I totally agree with you that the bottom line ought to be about being healthy. Carrying more weight than what the charts say we should weigh does not have to hinder performance. I too noticed that Daly was able to capitalize on his weight (among other 'flaws' such as drinking beer, etc.) while Laura Davies did not.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both you and Dr. Spencer. The issue is not weight. There are so many reasons for why a person weighs the amount they do other than just what they eat. Heredity plays a huge role. The issue shouldn't be that they are considered "fat" it should be their ability to perform and their overall health. Size and health do not go hand in hand. It is possible to be a larger individual and be extremely healthy. I also thought it was wrong how Daly's weight was not seen as a big a problem as Davies. I feel that this is an issue of gender steryotypes where it is assumed that it is okay for men to be overweight but for females this is unacceptable. I feel that these views are wrong and that everyone should be equally looked at in terms of performance rather than weight.
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