Aboriginal People's Participation In Sports

Jessica Statsky, in her essay, “Children need to Play, Not Compete” attempts to refute the common belief that organized sports are good for children. She sees organized sports not as healthy pass-times for children, but as onerous tasks that children do not truly enjoy. She also notes that not only are organized sports not enjoyable for children, they may cause irreparable harm to the children, both emotionally and physically. In her thesis statement, Statsky states, “When overzealous parents and coaches impose adult standards on children's sports, the result can be activities that are neither satisfying nor beneficial to children” (627). While this statement is strong, her defense of it is weak.

A survey focused on the reason why children participated in sport was preformed on primary school students by Messrs Scott Malaxos and Nathan Wedgwood of the University of Sydney. The survey was conducted on children aged between 8 and 13, they were asked to why they participated is sport. The number one reason for taking part in sport was to compete with 83 per cent. Though, the unsurprising fact was that the second highest cause was being like sports stars with 58 per cent of the vote. Evidently AFL players are role good models because so many children look up to them for motivation in participating in

Assess the impact of the Australian Aboriginal League in improving the rights and freedoms of Aboriginals in Australia

Sports in Canada has helped shape Canada’s identity, throughout the years. It was in the 1920s and 1930s that hockey became increasingly popular and played an important role in the lives of Canadians. It was easy for everyone of all ages and levels to strap on a pair of skates, grab a stick and head to frozen ponds, community rinks and top arenas where they could pursue their love of hockey. Canada at this time was starting to become known worldwide for this sport. During this era, important Canadian figures and events occurred in hockey that impacted and helped to shape Canada’s identity.

Aboriginal athletes, as individuals, are represented fairly in contemporary print media but when they take action to challenge prejudice then they are usually praised, but in some instances they are condemned. Many articles are written in support of the actions taken by Aboriginal athlete to challenge prejudice however in some instances articles are found to praise the athlete but denounce their actions. Articles of such nature are not as prominent in contemporary print media. This is highly visible in the context of Adam Goodes; many articles are written in support of his action but there are certain articles found to condemn him.

This school year I had the privilege of coaching our school Native Youth Olympic team. This team was composed of 4th and 5th graders from Snowshoe Elementary in Wasilla Alaska. The team competed at two meets, a local meet as well as a statewide meet. During the local meet, we gathered at Houston Middle School and competed for the first time representing the Snowshoe Trailblazers. The State meet was held at Mirror Lake Middle School in Chugiak, Alaska. Our athletes competed in the arm pull, two-foot-high kick, wrist carry, Alaskan high kick, one-foot-high kick and the scissor broad jump.

Hockey first started in Canada in 1875 when Canada was becoming a nation and forming a cultural identity (unit2). Canada was beginning to transition from a rural environment to an industrialized society and hockey was the new modern sport that was up and coming (unit2). In the late 1800’s hockey was first sought out to control the lower class by encouraging a more active and healthy life style by playing sports. In this time period, hockey was intended to eliminate gambling, alcoholism, and poor health choice during leisure time (unit2). Thus, hockey first stared out to be a sport that was meant to shape the identity of the Canadian society in a positive manner by reducing unwanted behaviour, but as society continued to change to a more urbanized environment, Canadians shifted there focused to the importance of masculinity

Sports granted Indian tribal Athletes the chance to fight against Stereotypes, demand equality, and cultural acceptance. Sports was a way that American Indians can challenge Euro-Americans in an open playing field to dispute the Racial hierarchy of Social

Although the origins of Australian rules football may be disputed throughout the wider sporting community, the influence of Aboriginal Australians on the game is undisputed. The way they have shaped the game, either through their amazing footballing abilities on the field or their efforts to change the way Aboriginal people are perceived and treated. They have used there status as great footballers to their advantage and helped the people of their communities and many generations of Aboriginal people to come.

Forsyth and Wamsley (2006) look at sports themselves as a medium for spreading colonial ideologies and to assimilate Indigenous people into white society. They argue that historically, sport has been utilized as a form of “assimilating

The attempt of cultural reassertion by the Aboriginals into society advanced for a short time, however, in the National Hockey League from the mid 1970s to 2000, the amount of Aboriginals participating in hockey were at a very low number. Valentine (2012) demonstrates that Aboriginal representation in the National Hockey League consisted of at least 1 percent of the league’s players, which is a direct relation to the cultural racism experienced in sport in Canada (pp. 107-108). Aboriginals were segregated from the dominant white culture, which further created challenges for them to leave Aboriginal communities to pursue sporting opportunities (Canadian Heritage, as cited in Valentine, 2012, p. 111). Valentine (2012) makes an excellent point

Racialization is the process in which etho-racial groups get marginalized on the racial hierarchy that is constructed by White supremacists (Henry & Tator, 2010, pp. 319). Sports are social institutions that reinforce racial hierarchies in Canada (Henry & Tator, 2010, pp. 243). Although it is commonly denied that there is any racism in Canada, racism in sports has manifested through dominant media narratives, surveillance, and imagery in sports.

In a more current event of March 2001, a First Nations minor hockey team was banned from league play and, as one source explains, the team was banned due to violations made by officials, players and parents (Robidoux, 2004, p. 287). One may question this reason for the banning of a minor hockey team, it is plausible that any other type of hockey team has instances where rules are violated, but the teams do not experience such restrictions, similar to being banned. It may be assumed that the reason for this prohibition of a First Nations minor hockey team could be racially motivated. Robidoux (2004) demonstrates that up until 2004, the team has been unsuccessful in attempting to reinstate the Native hockey team (p. 287). This is another solid

Sociology is the study of the social worlds that people create, maintain and change through their relationships with each other. Sports in American society have a major impact on these social worlds and culture throughout the past century. Sports have an impact on social interaction, social structure and the shared ways of life and shared understandings that people develop as they live together. Compared to other forms of physical activities, sports are defined as “well established, officially governed competitive physical activities in which participants are motivated by internal and external rewards.” A critical sociological look into an individual’s development through sport is defined as a Sportography. Darion Scott, born and raised in Compton, California showed me through an interview of his sports history, how sports influenced his life in a positive way and provided a window into his culture and society.

Sports have been and will continue to be an influential factor on cultures around the world. Soccer is influential in Europe, Football influences The United States and for Canada it would be hockey. It was created in Canada and continues today to be a dominating part of Canadian culture as “the sport and national identity are inextricably linked” (Brunt). You could ask almost anyone in Canada if they knew who Wayne Gretzky is or if they have ever played any form of hockey, and undoubtedly you would hear them say yes more often than no. Hockey influences all ages, from youth signing up for minor hockey, to adults taking their children to a game or even the older generations sitting in front of their television in hopes that the Toronto Maple Leafs will beat the Ottawa Senators. The examination of these cultural influences allows the argument to be made that hockey can in fact be deemed “Canada’s game” (Holman 153).Through investigation of the amount of youth that participate in minor hockey, the statistics involving the amount of professional Canadian hockey players and the success that Canada has achieved in the world of professional hockey, such as the Olympics, NHL and IIHF World Juniors, it will become evident that hockey is and will continue to be viewed as “Canada’s game”. (Holman 153)