Contemporary Issues And Social Factors Affecting Sport, Exercise And Health

This burden on the Australian health system is significant and has been increasing its effects since the late 20th Century. The research project will allow for the support of the Australian society in maximising their health, potential and lifetime outcomes (Department of Industry, 2013). The lack of physical activity among adults is a national problem, on an economic scale it is consuming $1.5 billion of government funds to cope with the increased health care impacts (Cahilhac et al. 2011). On top of the economic burden, the social impacts of rising levels of health issues among the public is effecting the quality of life of thousands of Australian’s per year, resulting in as many as 2,000 deaths (Cahilhac et al. 2011). This research proposal will evaluate and uncover potential solutions to combat the problems contributing to an inactive lifestyle. It will also provide an insight Australian decision makers to assist in producing decisions regarding social and economic improvements. The research will enable the promotion of better health practices and prevent disease through a more focused and collaborative effort as guided by the national research priority

In 1879 Henry George wrote an article titled “Progress and Poverty”. In this article he discussed the ongoing industry and he stated that “the wealthy class is becoming more wealthy; but the poorer class is becoming more dependent.

At foundation level women face many barriers when trying to participate in sport. In football women may come up against cultural barriers which could stop them from playing this could be because of the stereotypical perception that they should be at home and that it is an unfeminine thing to do this could stop then from participating, also they may have been brought up in a very feminine world so they are more likely to play something like netball rather than football, another cultural barrier could be the persons religion as some Christians will not play on a Sunday which is when most foundation level teams play.

Have you ever thought about getting out and exercising but not actually been motivated enough to actually do that same thing? There are much greater benefits to participating in activities and exercise than in sitting on your bum. Everyone knows that the more exercise and activities a person does the healthier they will be. In order for this to be true though a person must continue this throughout his/her life and be committed to doing it more than just once in a blue moon. One easy way to get this exercise is to play a lifetime sport. Lifetime sports include sports that can continue with you for a lifetime, which you can participate in at any age, and don’t have an age season. In this essay I

In other words, America has a widening gap between its wealthy and poor. As the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, there is a problem emerging: the disappearance of the middle class. Low-wage workers continue to fall behind those who make higher wages, and this only widens the gap between the two. There has been an economic boom in the United States, which has made the country more prosperous than it has ever been. That prosperity does not reach all people; it seems to only favor the rich. Rising economic segregation has taken away many opportunities for the poor to rise in America today. The poor may find that the economic boom has increased their income; however, as their income increase so does the prices they must for their living expenses (Dreier, Mollenkopf, & Swanstrom 19).

Since the beginning of civilization, unfortunately, there has always been some type of ranking when it came to social status. Usually, there was a small group of wealthy elites who ran everything, and then there was the large group of people who were not rich. One would think that the rich would take care of the poor, but often times the rich kept to themselves and let the poor suffer. This can be seen all over history from the time of the Egyptians to the feudal system of the middle ages, to even more current times.This holds true when diving into the 1800 and 1900’s. One would see that like there were very few social elites and a plethora of people who were not wealthy by a stretch. There were times when the rich would participate in activities that would make it seem like they were helping the poor when in actuality they were not doing the slightest. An example of this can be seen in Andrew Carnegie's “The Gospel of Wealth.” In “The Gospel of Wealth” Carnegie explains what one should do to help society and the poor, but what it is is a way for the wealthy to feel better about themselves.

The gap between the upper class and the lower class is growing; the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Instead of helping the lower class, the upper class is spending their money on fancy houses and material objects. For example, in the outskirts of cities, the rich business owners are building large mansions to live in. On the other hand, the lower class live in tiny tenements in the heart of the city. Many are unemployed and starving. In addition, between 1865 and 1900 only a small percent of Americans grew wealthy showing that wealth is only being passed through families not gained. However this growing gap between rich and poor has allowed the growth of the middle class. This middle class made up of doctors, lawyers and other will help the will hopefully help lessen the gap between

Participation in youth sports in the United States is on the rise. “Organized youth sports are highly popular for youth and their families, with approximately 45 million children and adolescent participants in the US” (Merkel, 2013). There are many benefits for children that can be attributed to sports such as: physical activity, learning motor skills, sense of belonging, stress relief, and many more. With childhood obesity on the rise recreational sports has never been needed more than it is today. “Over the past three decades, the incidence of obesity in children has tripled, with one of every three children being affected” (Merkel, 2013). Obesity has many long-term health problems related to it such as: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure cancer, asthma. We can attribute this health problem to changes in our society over like increased technology, increased crime rates, fast food and isolated suburban neighborhoods. Sports and other physical activities are needed to keep children from causing further damaged to their future.

The “Background” section of this article gives a lot of insight to how the middle class was formed and the economic problems that arose throughout the 18th and 19th century, and are still arising today. This section is divided into four smaller segments that each give insight to the middle class and economic issues in a specific time frame. These sections are titled “Early Middle Class,” “Government Intervention,” “Economic Boom,” and “The Reversal.” The “Early Middle Class” section focuses on the time frame between the late 1800s and early 1900s where the Gilded Age, Progressive Movement, and the Roaring Twenties took place.

In the late 1800s there was a series of events that led to the poverty of many and the wealth of few, this was known as the Gilded Age. The aspects of the rich and the poor were different due to that they lived different lifestyles. The rich lived in palatial mansions and the poor lived in tenements. The tenements that the poor lived in were not in great conditions, there were tenements that had no windows and others that had little or no plumbing or heating. The rich lived in big palatial mansions which were very luxurious and were located in exclusive neighborhoods.

The comparison between rich and poor people is a topic with an enormous gap. The bridge between the two is longer than most see it, and is increasing steadily. Michael Sandel wrote a book discussing his opposition to the market society in the United States. The focus of Sandel’s book lies within the title, What Money Can’t Buy. He believes that everything seems to be for sale and that we are a society that revolves around the idea of every person for themselves. Sandel also states that inequality is rising faster than ever. Even though everything is for sale in this day and age, that does not mean everyone is able to purchase whatever they want. Inequality comes in many forms like race, gender and age. Income inequality affects

Although the themes in the book illustrate a crucial problem within one of America's poorest cities, they only depict a minimal look at the ideology behind class, poverty, and socioeconomic issues from colonial times to present day. The reason it is so important is because it connects to a large concept which is how money has not only shaped U.S. history, but has influenced civilization as a whole from its beginning. One example of how class and poverty has impacted society over the past decades and centuries can be clearly seen through the American Revolutionary War. During this time, the wealth gap grew. Wealthy citizens’ sons would most likely be given the position of a colonel or captain in the army, in return making several times the amount of what an infantry unit would make. This again highlight even today with the ever looming concept of privilege and the advantage it gives to certain groups of people. Families that have a higher income and are - in most cases - able to provide better education to their children which leads to ceaseless rise among the economic food chain. Whereas families that struggle to obtain a stable income often cannot afford to send their children to higher educational institutions. Consequently, our society enters a domino effect where the rich continue to prosper and the poor continue to suffer. There are countless other examples of how this critical topic is rooted

Until the end of the 19th century, only two major classes of people were in society: aristocrats which were born into the homes of the wealth and privilege and low-income people born in the working classes. However, new industries in the cities soon required more of what we call “white collar” jobs, such as shopkeepers, business workers, bank tellers, insurance agents, merchants, accountants, managers, doctors, lawyers and

The voice perceived from Eleanor Robinson’s essay, “CrossFit: the new fitness craze has a lot to tell us about late western capitalism,” has an emphatically melodramatic tone to its words. The essay is written with emphasis on Robinson’s opinions and her ability to persuade the reader the reader, rather than facts and data, as if the essay is essentially a personal narrative on the topic. Robinson’s essay sheds light on a relatively new fitness trend that many Americans have increasingly started to participate in: CrossFit. Robinson claims that this wellness trend is as comical as it is disturbingly unsafe, as she writes that, “There are of course plenty of fit, lovely people who enjoy CrossFit, some of whom even have all their original limbs. To those people, I say: get out now!” While analytically interpreting this quote, the reader may identify several expressions in the voice of the author, all of which pertaining to the idea of the melodramatic voice in her words, as she writes about the consumer loyalty for CrossFit as a new fitness trend. It is evident in Robinson’s quote of her sardonic point-of-view on the fitness trend, as she presumes the fitness trend is not only dangerous, but comical because of the support and popularity associated with it.. Although scarce in the essay, Robinson’s usage of facts and data to support her argument of CrossFit being an unsafe fitness trend also backs-up her melodramatic voice. An example of such data is that 73.5% of CrossFitters become injured at some point in their lifetimes directly from the workouts, Robinson claims. She also refers to the fact that, “Injuries and exertion vomiting are used as a marketing tactic,” and, “The shoulder reconstruction goes with the rippling abdominals,” to compare CrossFit to other, less dangerous and injurious fitness trends. As the essay closes, Robinson writes about how western capitalism and CrossFit relate to one another, in which she agrees with the stereotype that only post industrial-knowledge workers (particularly those who are more financially successful) with a non-labor-intensive occupation will be willing to, “pay $200 a month to throw weights around

The lower class, also known as the “working class”, were those individuals whom partook on the strenuous and dangerous jobs. These individuals were expected to work each and every day for multiple hours as a time and without a break. Although they worked extremely hard, the lower class was not paid well for their effort. Instead, they received the very minimum wage that one could, and were expected to live off of this (Allingham, 2002). Because the people of this class did not have as much money, their material items such as; housing, clothing, and food were very minimum. Even with the small amount of income that they received, the “lower section of the society was also burdened with numerous taxes that made their life miserable.” (Bishal, 2008) Lastly, the working classes remained shut out from the political process, making these individuals in reality separated from the rest of society (Allingham, 2002).