Girls...Cover shots....ethics in wakeboarding???

Alright I could use some help here. I need to find a debate on an ethical issue in wakeboarding. I was thinking allong the lines of how mothers don't like their son's exposed to half naked shots of women in magazines dedicated to a sport. Now I am all for the Reef shots! however, I need published sources to be able to support and rebutle my arguments and I can not find any. It could be in magazines or news articles it just has to be a published source.
The other topic I had was How magazine cover shots mainly go to the pros but what about the amature rider that rides and has good shots and sends them in. whats wrong if some jo shmo gets a cover? and at the same time why is it that people that contribute back to the sport more than most, and are heavily envolved in the industry do not recieve any cover shots.
these are my two topics I am writting a term paper and I could use some help finding sources.
any help is appreciated.
Chad

I think the whole Shane vs. Aaron thing on the Alliance cover would be good fuel for your second point, if you can find any factual information about it. I didn't ever really form an opinion on the thing but a lot of other people did. Aaron is definately no "jo shmo" but it's a good case of full-time pro versus working-man's pro getting coverage.

Regarding the second topic . . . It all boils down to Money . . . Most magazines cannot exist with out advertisements, and those who advertise want to connect as directly with the consumer as possible. It is natural to assume that high profile athletes will attract a greater number of consumers, (to buy the magazine), than would unknown amateurs. Plus, the high profile athletes will probably be advertising for their sponsors, ie, clothing, boards, boats, etc. It's one big circle of business practice.

Jed, Totally agree Aaron is no jo shmo I was just seeing if that could get peoples curiosity going.
Barrett, I see your point and I understand that the sport only thrives off of money and sponsors but like I said I need published opinion and articles to be able to debate these topics in an official college paper.
If you guys know the alliance magazine issue that brings up the topic of the shane Aaron thing I could use that and it would help my paper.
thanks for your input right on guys.
Chad

Chad, I think that story was in SBC Wake spring of last year, if that helps. I don't have a scanner or I'd upload it. Sorry!

Chad,
this is Naomi. Well, I don't know if you would consider this ethical, but i'll say it anyway. How about how there are an inherent lack of minorities within the sport of wakeboarding? I don't mean to stereotype, but a good majority of people that participate within our sport are Caucausian. Of course there is nothing wrong with that, and I think a lot of that has to due with things such as demographics, income, etc. etc. However as our relatively new sport is growing, it's good to see minorities showing more of an inherent interest within the sport of wakeboarding.

Naomi, I think that would be an excellent topic for a term paper. It would probably spark an interesting class debate and hold the interest of others who are not familiar with wakeboarding or other board sports. I'm not sure if I would have guts to write it myself, but I still think it's a good topic and one that could have a number of different arguments either way.

I don't know if this will help or not but if you can get your hands on some old like 2004 issues of WBM in the inbox portion of the mag they had a bunch of "angry mom letters" about the reef chicks. The one in may was big...I still remember it, then in issues before and after it there are people who wrote in suporting and agreeing with it inculding a wakeboard dealer that wrote in and opinions of other moms and girls, I know this because I was holding a old june 2004 why I was typing this, I am a pack rat that keeps them all right by my computer, because I have no other place for them

(Message edited by wakegenie on February 09, 2007)

Right ON! that is what I was Looking For W.G. thanks a buch I didn't remember what issues that subject cam up in.
Naomi that is a good topic but as Jed braught up that would be challenging and I am already finding it hard to find sources for a much more general subject.
All good stuff guys all these issues are good ones and are not any more important than another but it is cool that people are aware of them and if everyone took into consideration about what the do and how it reflects the sport I think everyone would be better off.
Thanks again,
Chad McInnis

thats alll im gonna comment on this thread

I don't think you should write your paper on that. Wakeboarding doesn't need any drama.

Blair you are absolutely right here are the may

and june issues of WBM 2004

(Message edited by wakegenie on February 16, 2007)

Naomi and All.

You would be suprised how many minorities are involved in Wakeboarding. Our School demographics are maybe 30% caucasian, 45% Asian, 10%Puerto Rican, 5% Black and Hispanics. All come to us with historys of Boating with their familys. Now that just in the Bay Area. Our SoCal location is PreDom Caucasion 65%, the rest is Asian.

On the issues of all the sex in the Mag. Here's what the mom's are saying who have come on our boats. Remember we see about 100 families a season.

Most will not allow Wakeboarder Mag or Alliance into their house.

All will not buy there product. If T & A is involved.

Thats just a few responses. It gets ugly when you get 4 moms on a boat and talk about this issue.

In the end its the Industry as awhole that suffers. To use Wakeboarding/Boating is a family and friend day on the water. Hyping it up with sex and the $80,000 boat that you must have to wakeboard, in addition to the I wanna be a gangster attitude. This is not what I want to see as a father with a daughter. But who cares what I think. (That Just My Opinion).

The Moms of this sport vote, by not buying the product.

Naomi...Regardless of your color or ethnicity or whatever, you've still got to be a good wakeboarder to get any coverage. I dont think there's some kind of conspiracy that's keeping minorities out of wakeboarding.

I find your comment that the lack of minorities in the sport is due to "things such as demographics, income, etc" far more offensive than the actual lack of minorities itself. This is not a debate, it won't take guts to write about, and there are no different ways to argue about it. If there are any deserving riders that happen to be minorities, they will get the coverage they deserve. It just doesn't happen that often right now; as you said most of the top riders are white.

This is just an attempt at stirring up drama that doesn't even exist.

Edit - After re-reading your post, maybe I took it the wrong way; I took your comments as a response to the professional side of things rather than the recreational rider. I'll leave what I said alone, though, because i think it still applies.

I will say that the T&A that everyone is so upset about is everywhere, not just in wakeboarding. There are far biger things in the world to worry about that a girl in a thong on a boat. Everyone always talks about how impressionable kids are; my response is, "That should make it that much easier to explain to them the difference between right and wrong."

I'm quitting before I have an army of angry parents chasing after me.

(Message edited by anthemwake on February 17, 2007)

I heard bits and peices of the shane and aaron thing.....i assumed it was probably some bull that gone blown out of proportion....does anyone know the specifics on what was said?

nevermind i found it.....just lame drama crap....

part of that shane article was just irresponsible journalism as well...

Am I losing my mind here? Anthemwake nailed it. Last time I checked, wake mags aren't even close to the worst offenders of crossing the sexual line. Try turning on the TV every now and again and avoid seeing barely clothed people, they even simulate sex in primetime. This seems like more of an issue of parents who completely out of touch with what's happening in the real world than a problem with wake mags.

I find this thread both pathetic and hysterical at the same time. Where does Dave Williams find you people?

I think the hyperventilating moms should open up their eyes a bit and quit discriminating against their boys. Considering the multiple scandals in the wakeboard world involving sexual predators and young boys on the circuit, maybe we should be more concerned about the exploitation of young men in wakeboard mags.

Walking around, all chiseled, wet and shirtless. Gosh, its enough to drive a deviant nuts. . . and it has on a number of occasions. Yet another reason to always wear a vest.

On the other subject, who cares about either Shane or Aaron. What a ridiculous arguement. Get over yourselves and go ride.

So, have you always been a douche or is this a new thing for you? Why don't you go float rocks, you asshat.

Sorry if that hit a little close to home Jed.

I just figured if you were going to post a bunch of rubbish - rather than something constructive to the thread - then I would too. Turn around is fair trade, right?

Your points were valid. You should just try presenting them in a way that will command attention... Chase.

I never understood how moms could get upset over girls in bikinis on boats. WTF are they suppose to wear?

Jed, you contradict yourself and don't make much sense. I'll try being more "commanding" while making the same point.

I think Chad should consider adding a discussion about why mothers place so much emphasis on protecting their young boys from suggestive images of women, while saying nothing about how the images of young boys/riders in our magazines attract sexual predators to our sport. These moms seem to be only addressing their fears from their "Hetero" view on life, and therefore missing possibly a bigger/more damaging problem that has already affected the sport of wakeboarding on 2 documented occasions.

How quickly the Bill Doyle story gets forgotten. It would seem people would prefer to ignore those realities in the hope that they might go away. We couldn't even have an uncensored debate about it on this site. Pitiful.

A well stated argument. With the objectification of women in our sport and these sexual predators stalking the young men, we should all go home and stick our heads in the sand...

Chase, you caught me on a bad day. Sorry for being a dick.

Jed, I welcome any and all challenges, so no problem.

I'm going to go stick my head back in the sand ...

jed - i'll fight you - lets go -

Oh snap. It's on like Donkey Kong.