While free speech values are broad in scope, one particular value—dissent—is regarded by some theorists as one that should be the most fiercely protected. At the same time, dissent can expose a disconnect in First Amendment theory and practice. Scholar Steven Shiffrin has written extensively about dissent and his work is foundational to this dissertation. Shiffrin (1999) argues that the First Amendment presents a “paradox” whereby it protects dissenters from losing legal claims, yet it does very little to actually encourage this type of free speech in everyday society. Might this paradox be evident in sports settings? Sports have long stuck to colorblind convictions, yet it may be one of the few contexts in which diverse social actors come to deliberate. Athlete activism in American sport, for example, is fertile ground for debate about players' rights to express their views about social justice and dissent. Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, whose decision to kneel during the national anthem throughout the course of the 2016 NFL season in protest of racial inequality, became a symbol for a clash of ideals: how America views the link between free speech theory and free speech doctrine. The realm of sport, therefore, becomes a relevant location to study the sociology of the First Amendment’s Free Speech clause and an examination of how much institutions—other than courts—can either promote or discourage the free speech value of dissent. This dissertation explores how backlash against NFL players kneeling during the national anthem during the 2016 and 2017 seasons stands in contrast to the spirit of the First Amendment. The paper analyzes theoretical approaches to First Amendment law to illuminate a great paradox that exists within the First Amendment. Case law is examined to tackle the issue of potential government interference in the free speech rights of protesting players, and whether there is a significant nexus between private sports teams and the government to determine the extent that free speech principles might apply within a sports stadium. This dissertation also probes the deeper questions relating to the NFL protest debate regarding the cultural struggles in America that can contribute to the contradiction in values which suppress the spirit of the First Amendment, or the paradox that emerges from the divide in letter-of-the-law symbology and spirit-of-the-law ideology in First Amendment philosophy.

Baseball has been America’s “national pastime” since the turn of the 20th century. Until the 1960s when the National Football League, and later the National Basketball Association, began gaining popularity, Major League Baseball was the top sport in the country. The home run in baseball is one of the most exciting plays the game has to offer, and Babe Ruth was the first player to hit home runs like no one had ever seen before. By 1927, Ruth had the top five single-season home run totals, and his career high of 60 in 1927 stood as the major league record for 34 years until Roger Maris hit 61in 1961. That single-season record has since been reset by Mark McGwire, who hit 70 home runs in 1998, and Barry Bonds, who hit 73 home runs in 2001. The home run connects baseball fans in ways other aspects of the game cannot. Through those connections, the sport remains prominent in the sports world and captivates new fans every year. As the late Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver said, “you can’t sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill clock. You’ve got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That’s why baseball is the greatest game of them all.”

The sport of tennis is played in over 100 countries and over 256 Division I collegiate programs across the United States. Each program contains 8-10 individual athletes for both men's and women's rosters. When first observing a roster from any Division I program, people will see that many of the athletes are international. Courts of Cultures is a documentary about the lives of five select tennis athletes of how they have adjusted to life in the United States, the shift in cultures and the transition into playing in collegiate tennis. Makey Rakotomalala (France), Pierre Louis Dodens (Switzerland), Thomas Wright (Great Britain), Lauryn John-Baptiste (England), and Tereza Kolarova (Czech Republic) all share their experiences of coming to Arizona State University and give insight into what life adjustments they have made not only for the college lifestyle, but international living as well. Head coaches Matt Hill (men's) and Sheila McInerney (women's) also speak to the recruitment of international students and how new technology has made the process simpler. In many countries, you either have to go professional in tennis out of high school, or toss away the racquet and just go to college for academics. Being able to play tennis and go to school benefits these athletes because they are able to improve on their skills and earn a degree. Each athlete featured in this film has a different story and a different background, but they all find commonality on the tennis court. A worldwide sport that has brought worldwide talent to Tempe. Courts of Cultures was directed, photographed, edited, and produced by Blaine McCormick along with narration by Scotty Gange.

This thesis is a creative project involving video from all four years of my schooling at Arizona State University and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Entering the Cronkite School for the first time, I did not possess any knowledge about computer video editing software or any on-camera experience. The video pieces are various clips of some of my best work during my time at ASU, including reports on various sports/sporting events for Cronkite News and the Walter Cronkite Sports Network (WCSN). The project combines some of my best on-camera work, video editing skills, and even some new additions such as music under-beds to the pseudo-documentary. Overall, it demonstrates progression from a lack of knowledge about the basics of sports journalism to being cognizant about the multiple facets of the industry. While working on this thesis project, I quickly realized I needed to put all of my skills and knowledge to the test, as I had to incorporate many elements into a long video. For an introduction and closing, I needed to create a script that captured a chronological progression of the journey without detracting from the main focus: the reel. A huge thank you to both my thesis director and my second committee member for their assistance in helping me turn this idea into a reality. I took a chance when committing to Arizona State, but after four years in the desert, I can say with full confidence this was the absolute best choice I could have made.