Sociology Of Sports

In our society sports are a very important social construction. As sports continue to grow, they are becoming more integrated into the major spheres of social life. Sports have become an entity, due to the fact that they not only create entertainment and jobs; sports have become a huge platform for various causes. Sports are extremely important to our society and have very powerful influences. Though experiences vary from person to person, most people have some sort of experience with sports. I personally have experienced sports more from the spectator and participant stance, and have been impacted from each perspective a great deal. Compared to sophomore safety, Jamal Adams my sports experience has been very different from impact and perspective.

This proves that playing competitive sports is good for the youth and it can also benefit them by playing on a team. It also gives them a lot of life skills such as confidence that they will use later on in their life when they have a job. Lucy Calkins is an expert in writing and in her article “Get Off That Couch and Play!” she also says that, “Students learn important life skills such as how to accept criticism, how to handle oneself under the pressure of competition, how to work hard toward a goal, how to win and lose graciously” (2014). In addition, to Lucy Calkins article “Get Off That Couch and Play!” that later in life if an adult is at a job interview they will need confidence while they are being interviewed, otherwise they probably won’t get the job. Adults and Children also need to work hard to get towards a goal. Like if someone is at their job and their boss needs something right away, they must get it done and not day dream. In the article “Pros and Cons of Sports Competition at High School Level,” education researcher and writer Grace Chen says, “When children and teens participate in group competitions and activities, they learn skills that

This framework was created by Professor Peter Figueroa to analyse the sociology of access and equity to sport (Amezdroz et al 2010). It comprehensibly explains the issues and ideas surrounding equity, access and equality in sport and physical activity. This framework is highly useful in determining how inequalities can be challenged to improve the access, equity and equality an individual has to participate in sport (Amezdroz et al 2010). There are five levels of the framework, including; individual, interpersonal, institutional, structural and cultural, all prevalent throughout society (Amezdroz et al 2010).

Sports can be viewed as a learning environment that helps individuals learn life lessons, foster strong work habits and develop core values all the while learning a sport skill. Youth sports that truly benefit young athletes should be structured to emphasize participation more than just competition. Children enjoy a sport more when they are able to have fun (Humpries). Despite many excesses some sport programs still manage to promote important virtues like self- confidence, teamwork, personal responsibility, coping skills, and persistence. Through sports kids can learn to stay organized and learn how to prioritize (Ferguson). Sports enables development of physical skills and increasing proficiency makes kids feel good about themselves. It teaches kids that failure is something to overcome and and not to fear (Meyerhoff 8-9). Youth sports has many aspects that are truly benefiting for children, but these benefits are slowly being clouded by the negatives that are prominent in today's youth sports.

In the Journal “Sport and Society: Annual Review of Sociology” written by Robert E. Washington and David Karen they talk about gender and sports in one section of their Journal. In this section the author addresses masculinity in sports and the attempts of Title IX to try and make sports equal in the sense that if women make up 40% of the athlete population they should receive 40% of the resources. However, this is not the case “The most recent data (Suggs 2000) reveal that in 1998–1999 women made up 42% of Division I athletes, received 42% of scholarship monies, 31% of recruiting budgets, 34% of coaching-salary budgets, and 33% of total operating expenses. According to Andrew Zimbalist (2000:B9), women “still play in inferior facilities, stay in lower-caliber hotels on the road, eat in cheaper restaurants, benefit from smaller promotional budgets, and have fewer assistant coaches.” (Washington and Karen, 2001) This long quote showcases that although women are starting to get what they deserve when it comes to a the percentage of Athletics that they comprise it is still not up to par. Although it is not technically salary, the gap in scholarship money and money spent of faculty for female athletes showcases how money it’s sports always goes to the male athletes no matter at what level. In a more recent example that further pushes the points that were made in Washington and Karen’s journal would be the U.S. Women’s Soccer team compared to the U.S. Men’s Soccer team. Both

Sports and child development have a lot in common with each other, they counter cross and when a child is in a sport they have to monitor them to make sure they are learning and doing things correctly. Being a child that is in sports is hard because they have short attention spans and therefore having a child in sports will not only teach them great teamwork but it will also teach them to listen a follow instructions.

“Organized sports are a learning lab for life,” she says. “They steep kids in everything from frustration management to diplomacy to collaboration, and data suggests that involvement in team sports is associated with higher high school graduation rates.” They will be taught what is really right and what is wrong.

Team sports for example not only provide physical activity for children. They also introduce them to the meaning of “teamwork” and ability

INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND: When a child actively participates in sports, they are able to learn life lessons in a fun and positive atmosphere.

This article will briefly discuss the three main theories of sociology, which are the structural, the social conflict, and the symbolic interaction approach and how it applies to sports. It can be said that through the views of the Structural approach, sport actually help society to operates, and it has both dysfunctional and functions consequences. The structural function approach can be defined as a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability(Macionis, 2010). In a sport team or in any given team, as we all know in order for them to succeed each individual must perform together. For example, with in the various football team’s in Belize different players play different position, such as forward, midfielder, defender, and goalkeeper.

Sport sociology examines sports as a part of cultural and social life, and adds a different dimension and perspective to the study of sport and exercise. More specifically, sport sociology examines the relationship between sports and society and seeks answers to many issues and questions regarding sport and culture. Sociology of sport poses critical and controversial issues; additionally, sports are considered a microcosm of society, the same social issues that exist in larger society also exist in sport culture. I have chosen eight peer-reviewed Sociological Journals to expand upon the understanding of this topic that I found to be the most relevant and offer diverse yet complete perspectives on sports.

Another valuable skill learned by kids participating in competitive sports is teamwork. It is important for children to learn the importance of teamwork because most jobs they may have in the future will require them to work well with others. Most sports that children participate in involve them playing on a team. When on a team, children must be able to communicate and work with others to be

What is the social role of sport? To what extent does social structure influence the practice and experience of sport? Discuss in relation to two of the following: gender, class, ethnicity or Aboriginality, or region. Illustrate your answer with at least three examples from sporting contexts (local or international).

Sport has been defined through social boundaries an example is, for instance, a single sport can be played differently by rules, courts, or even the preconceived unwritten rules. Thus, the way that each social class plays the specific sport does not make their way right or wrong, but rather built out of social constraints with the environment in which they are surrounded. Each social class is taught through their own spectacles or habitus on ways they should play the sport. Looking in depth at social classes, you will find ways each of the social classes interacted with all sports in general. Taking that knowledge and diving deeper into reflecting on the way each social class interacts with their perceived role in regards to sport.

The gaining popularity of sports globally, as well as the economic weight and political resonance that comes with it, makes it mandatory for sports to be included as a sub discipline of sociology. Currently, sports are regarded as one of the international phenomena that has developed from the previous perception which considered it as a recreational activity. Sports is now an integral part of the social and cultural fabric that has contributed immensely to addressing some of the social problems as well as a source of economic empowerment. The contribution of sports has immensely contributed to a myriad of factors such as the political movement that was witnessed during the anti-apartheid campaigns in South Africa. Besides, sport has also been used in changing the perception of the modern world evident by the intensified interest and emphasis that has developed over the years. The following section offers an in-depth analysis of the sociological development sports has made in the society as well as some of the intrinsic factors.