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University of Central Florida

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Full-Text Articles in Cultural History

The World Cup, Richard C. Crepeau Jun 2026

The World Cup, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

We are now well into the 2026 World Cup, and the sports news outlets are full of reports on games, controversies, and personalities. I must confess that I am not a big fan of The Beautiful Game, probably because I never played football of the European variety or grew up in an area where soccer was followed. Whatever the reason, I am not all excited that the World Cup has once again come to the United States.


Drowning In The Tube, Richard C. Crepeau Apr 2026

Drowning In The Tube, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Several years ago, I was hosting a group of international exchange students at my university. It was memorable and enjoyable for many reasons, not the least of which was watching them in their first encounters with American consumer culture. I remember the first time I took them to a supermarket to get toothpaste and other personal items. As they went down the aisle surveying several brands and types of toothpaste they came to a stop, seemingly frozen by the task of choosing an item. When I asked them what the problem was, they said that there were way too many …


Baseball Is Back, Richard C. Crepeau Mar 2026

Baseball Is Back, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As the Baseball Season opens today, its popularity seems to be peaking. The recently concluded World Baseball Classic (WBC) generated great interest and considerable excitement. The climax of games between the Dominican Republic and the United States, and the championship game between Venezuela and the United States went down to the last pitch.


Winter Olympics 2026 Part Iv, Richard C. Crepeau Feb 2026

Winter Olympics 2026 Part Iv, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The second week of Olympic competition began with the Pairs and the Women’s Figure Skating Events. In the past, these two events were the most anticipated events in the Winter Olympics. In recent years, the Pairs Event seems to have lost some of its luster, at least for me. It may have been eclipsed by Ice Dancing in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. In their free skate that year, Cristopher Dean and Jayne Torvill ice danced to Ravel’s Bolero and received a perfect score for artistic expression. It was a thing of beauty and took Ice Dancing to a …


Winter Olympics 2026 Part 2, Richard C. Crepeau Feb 2026

Winter Olympics 2026 Part 2, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The first week of competition in the Winter Olympics has ended. Figure Skating is always a big story in week one, but no one could have anticipated just how big it would become, as I discussed previously. There were, of course, many other stories and performances, which revealed both highs and lows, and the occasionally silly.


The Olympics Part I, Richard C. Crepeau Feb 2026

The Olympics Part I, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Some Olympic events, especially those in which judges play a role, often end in controversy. National bias or style preferences can override technical skills in scoring by some judges. Sometimes none of these come into play, and the performances are at such a high level and differ technically only by an eyelash. In the figure skating dance competition that ended on Wednesday evening in Milan this, in my view, was the case.


To Print A Remake: An Analysis Of Hollywood Remakes And Their Cultural Value, Connor F. Seaton Jan 2026

To Print A Remake: An Analysis Of Hollywood Remakes And Their Cultural Value, Connor F. Seaton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In recent years, audiences and movie critics have expressed concern that Hollywood’s growing reliance on remakes, sequels, franchises, and similar adaptations has led to a broader worry that originality is fading from modern cinema and that the industry is instead focused on using adaptations to maximize profits. Although adaptation is often seen as a commercially driven framework for reproducing existing intellectual property in a new media format, this thesis argues that it should be recognized as an autonomous cultural category with its own artistic, historical, and social significance and merit. By analyzing adaptation scholarship and reviewing its complex historical development, …


Ichiro, Richard C. Crepeau Jul 2025

Ichiro, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Ichiro Suzuki was born October 23, 1973, in Nishi Kasugai-gun, Japan; attended Aikoudai Meidin High School in Nagoya, Japan where he played baseball. On Sunday, Ichiro will be making history when he is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.


House, Richard C. Crepeau Jun 2025

House, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

With the settlement in the House Case finally being accepted by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, five years of litigation has come to a close. It might be tempting to say, “the other shoe has dropped.” Unfortunately, College Athletics is not a biped, but rather a centipede. It is likely then that hundreds of more shoes are yet to drop.


Rose, The Commissioner, And The Hall, Richard C. Crepeau May 2025

Rose, The Commissioner, And The Hall, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It seems that the biggest news in baseball this week is off the field. Usually, that is not a good thing. Yesterday, the Commissioner of Baseball, Rob Manfred, announced that Pete Rose and sixteen other players have been re-instated from baseball’s “permanently ineligible” list. Among the sixteen others are several players caught up in the Black Sox scandal of 1919.


March Madness Plus, Richard C. Crepeau Apr 2025

March Madness Plus, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

March Madness, the NCAA marketing term, often is anything but. This year in both the women’s and men’s rendition, March Madness spilled over, as it often does into April. The final weekend, featuring the men’s and women’s semi-finals and finals, offered more madness than could have been hoped for.


March Is Full Of Madness, Richard C. Crepeau Mar 2025

March Is Full Of Madness, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Today is the first day of the Men’s Sweet Sixteen in the Moveable Feast called March Madness. It comes in an extended weekend of what might be the maddest March in history. No, I am not talking politics. I am talking about sports in America and a television schedule that could burn out the circuitry on TV sets across the country.


Four Nations Hockey, Richard C. Crepeau Feb 2025

Four Nations Hockey, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The Four Nations Hockey Tournament begins today. The National Hockey League and two television networks are touting this as a matchup as the best-on-best of Hockey. Of course, it is not. It is the best hockey players in the National Hockey League from four countries. The four are Canada, Sweden, Finland, and The United States.


Super Bowl, Richard C. Crepeau Feb 2025

Super Bowl, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

In the beginning, it was no larger than a snowflake. Then, it grew to the size of a snowball. Within a few years, it resembled a Midwest snowstorm. Now, it is nothing short of an avalanche.


Baseball-State Of The Game, Richard C. Crepeau Jan 2025

Baseball-State Of The Game, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As we enter the final week of the baseball season, it might be time to reflect on the state of the game. This is generally the point in the season when there is a rash of jeremiads on the condition and health of the former national pastime. Baseball people seem to always see the game in decline. Over the years, I have dismissed these as overblown and off the mark, because generally they are. Now, for the first time in my multiple decades as a baseball fan, I am ready to join the mournful chorus.


Crises, Richard C. Crepeau Dec 2024

Crises, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The last two weeks have seen a number of crises in college sport and one massive money drop in baseball.


Golden Baseball, Richard C. Crepeau Dec 2024

Golden Baseball, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

We are now well into baseballs off season. Baseball fanatics are already into their annual countdown to the day pitchers and catchers report for spring training. As for me, I am beginning the countdown to one billion dollars, the figure that the Dodgers seem to be aspiring to, once again, as they seek to guarantee their right to another World Series win. There is little doubt they can find a way to spend that much and perhaps even more.


The World Series Begins, Richard C. Crepeau Oct 2024

The World Series Begins, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It seems that the biggest news in baseball this week is off the field. Usually, that is not a good thing. Yesterday, the Commissioner of Baseball, Rob Manfred, announced that Pete Rose and sixteen other players have been re-instated from baseball’s  “permanently ineligible” list. Among the sixteen others are several players caught up in the Black Sox scandal of 1919.


Caitlin Clark And History, Richard C. Crepeau Jul 2024

Caitlin Clark And History, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Over the past several weeks one of the major stories in sport in the United States has been Caitlin Clark’s quest for the all-time scoring title in women’s college basketball. Clark with her high-level skills: shooting, passing, rebounding, and defense were a source of amazement to many, especially those for whom women’s basketball and women’s sport have been of marginal interest.


The Courts And Intercollegiate Athletics, Richard C. Crepeau Jun 2024

The Courts And Intercollegiate Athletics, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Over the past several weeks, the world of college sports has witnessed considerable turmoil and the prospect of major change. The future of the NCAA is in doubt, at least in its current form. The myth of the “student athlete” under the banner of amateurism is dead. The term should be laid to rest and never be seen in print again. It was a fabricated term created by former NCAA president, Walter Byers, designed to allow the NCAA to keep the money earned from intercollegiate athletics for itself, and out of the hands of the athletes.


Willie Mays, Ray Dandridge, And Me., Richard C. Crepeau Jun 2024

Willie Mays, Ray Dandridge, And Me., Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It has been a very busy last six weeks or more for me and in the world of sport. There have been any number of things that have attracted my attention and normally would have prompted some comment here. At some point, I will return to some of those issues and events. Today, I will concentrate on one.


Super Bowl Lviii, Richard C. Crepeau Feb 2024

Super Bowl Lviii, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Every Super Bowl is different in its own way. There are good exciting games, and there are blowouts. There are games decided early, and games decided by a field goal or extra point as the clock runs out. But that’s just the game, and the game is the least important part of the Super Bowl. The real show begins a week or more before the game.


Money Money Money, Richard C. Crepeau Jan 2024

Money Money Money, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

In the last few weeks, the world of sport has brought to mind the lyrics of a wonderful song from ABBA:


The Battle Over Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion And Critical Race Theory In Florida: A Case Study On The Stop W.O.K.E. Act, Grace Anne Castelin Jan 2024

The Battle Over Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion And Critical Race Theory In Florida: A Case Study On The Stop W.O.K.E. Act, Grace Anne Castelin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Accelerating from 2022 and continuing through 2024, the state of Florida has experienced significant policy changes, particularly within the realm of higher education and affairs of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Many progressive officials, experts, and activists assert arguments that the state is on the verge of evolving into an authoritarian regime while many illiberal policies are being produced through the Florida legislature and current executive leadership—social and economic sectors are consequently threatened in order to maintain political oppression. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act has served as a catalyst for shifting the state's political stance on DEI, culminating in a chain …


Football Obsession, Richard C. Crepeau Dec 2023

Football Obsession, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

While watching more and more college football in the last few days as the season comes to its close, I have been struck by what seems to be an increase in the frequency and intensity of the hits received by the players. Some players are knocked out and have concussions; some sustain fractures, while others experience lesser trauma across the body. As the speed and size of football players has increased over the past three decades, the collisions on the football field have become more violent.


The Protopopovs, Richard C. Crepeau Nov 2023

The Protopopovs, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Just about a week ago, the Russian Skating Federation announced the death of Oleg Protopopov. He and his wife, Ludmila Belusova, who died in 2017, were the first of the many great Russian pairs figure skaters who came out of the Soviet Union to initiate the international Soviet dominance in pairs figure skating. The Protopopovs elevated pairs skating to new levels of artistry, consistently performing as near to perfection as humanly possible.


Bobby Knight, Richard C. Crepeau Nov 2023

Bobby Knight, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Late last week, the news of the death of Robert Montgomery Knight was announced. I have let this news settle while traveling and also because I didn’t want to make too hasty a response. Those who have read this column over several years may be familiar with my views on the late great basketball coach. Over the last few days, I have been reading obituaries and tributes, as well as going back to read my own writing on Bobby Knight that dates back into the late 1990s. My last piece on his legacy was written when Knight retired from coaching …


Coco Gauff, Richard C. Crepeau Sep 2023

Coco Gauff, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It seems to me that the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, played at the end of the summer each year, has consistently produced some of the greatest sports highlights of the year. I have been particularly conscious of this since I started writing these essays over thirty years ago. Almost every September, I have been inspired by something at the Open that prompted me to produce one of these essays. Looking at my records, I see that the second essay on Sport and Society that I ever wrote was in September of 1991. It had as its subject the contrast between …


Big 10, Richard C. Crepeau Aug 2023

Big 10, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Over the past several weeks the world of college sports has gone into overdrive in an attempt to milk the public for as much cash as is humanly possible. The money game this time around has centered on conferences seeking to expand their membership, which mathematically means shrinking the size of the membership of other conferences or, even better, wiping out the conference competition entirely.


A Constant In Sport, Richard C. Crepeau Jul 2023

A Constant In Sport, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The mid-summer glamor events are now history. Wimbledon offered two record-setting championship runs. The All-Star Game was one of the more exciting in recent history, as it opened with two excellent catches by the corner outfielders, both Cubans, who had once roomed together. It ended with a tight finish and the winning home run was hit by a player, not a household name, who blossomed relatively late in his career. The Open also provided some golf excellence as it always does, even though it was without a dramatic finish.