Sociology of Sport Essay

Sporting events have always been an important fixture of society. In fact, sports are more like an extension of the reality in which we live. Referring to the modern Olympic games, Avery Brundage stated, “Sport, like music and other fine arts, transcends politics… We are concerned with sports, not business and politics.” Each historical time period is marked by cultural norms and these norms translate onto sports.

It is easy to understand why participation in sport is encouraged by parents, administrators, and community leaders (Frey and Eitzen 506). Sport is also seen as a trigger for socialization, introducing children of all ages. It is perceived to build character, develop morals, and shape one's personality, while transmitting the values and morals of the dominant culture to its participants.

A sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Sports originated in early history as males only, and was often used to see which male was more dominant. In today’s society sports have a different meaning and is played by both genders, but still holds a mentality of superiority. In this essay, I will be arguing the Social Constructs of Masculinity in Sports in the language and the actions used when performing these activities through both genders and how some actions are acceptable for one gender and not for the other. Using Laurel Richardson’s article Gender Stereotyping in the English Language, and X: A Fabulous Child’s Story by Lois Gould. The article and story will help distinguish the use of words in our society and how they are incorporated in sport and how the actions of a person that does not fit the social standard faces repercussions for their actions.

The sports world has been a new area where women are recognized. In previous times women’s sports were almost non-existent. In schools many girl teams did not receive adequate funds for uniforms and equipment. Boys sports were much more popular, such as football or basketball. If a girl wanted to play a guy sport she would be labeled as a

Sport has the ability to not only bring people together but also unites the world. Sport has the power to break down barriers such as conflict, racism jealousy and judgement, and create an inclusive environment for both players and audiences. Events such as the Olympics (Winter and Summer) along with the FIFA World Cup are great examples of the importance sport plays in bringing people together.

When women decide to participate in sports traditionally for men such as bodybuilding, they risk the chance of being socially stereotyped as lesbians, or simply viewed as "less feminine" then say women figure skaters. For example, Venus Williams is seen as criticized for being very masculine in build and judged on that by her performance. The media has commented on how well she plays, and has compared her to men in her sport. She receives fewer endorsements than many other tennis players do because of her looks (but mainly due to her race).

Tennis, for example, became very popular for women because it was not a traditionally masculine sport. Therefore, tennis was an unclaimed arena that provided the room necessary for the development of women’s sports. But there still were restrictions that women had to follow even in tennis. For example, women had to wear a skirt while playing. Women still had to follow traditional gender roles that required them to wear skirts, be ladylike, and god forbid, not to sweat. Although women were allowed to participate in sports, there were still many constrictions and narrow parameters that they had to stay within.

Society has specific expectations of females. Once a baby is born and the sex is revealed they are dressed in blue or pink, given gifts of trucks and soldiers or dolls and animals, and referred to as strong and alert or soft and delicate (Malszecki and Cavar, 2005. 161). Society demands, or at least demanded, compliance to the social archetypes of gender which you are bombarded with from birth. ‘Traditional’ gender stereotypes have remained consistent over many years, and, despite a rise in awareness and the challenge to these social norms, gender stereotypes raise issues with body image, labelling and genderfication. Both genders are subject to these stereotypes, where they are expected not only to accept them, but act within them, which is where we find the sexual double standards faced by sportspersons in the modern day. This paper will look into Hegemonic Masculinity and the Sexual Double Standards in modern and latter-day Sport Culture with particular focus on the sexual double standards faced by female sportspersons both past and present using Johnathan Zimmerman’s article “The Double Standard of Sport Sexuality”.

Sports have different meanings for different people and across societies (Laker 2001:4). The way one engages in sports is influenced by the cultural or ethnic group to which one belongs (Sever 2005:4). Even though the rules of sport may stay constant, meanings diverge and are varied (Besnier and Brownell 2012). Sports serves as one of the most contested and celebrated institutions in our society (Appleby and Foster 2013:1). As a result, it will be impossible to fully understand contemporary society without acknowledging the place of sports (Jarvie 2006:2). The body transformed from being a biological entity to a cultural body since the 1980s to help understand the complexities of the body in sports (Besnier and Brownell 2012).

Although, it doesn't offer a full explanation given the area of a specific space for the investigation of social sports, in spite of the fact that as a small amount of sincerity and less respected practice, in many educational guidelines, we might equally have ourselves to blame. The real warning threatening sociologists of sports, especially the individuals who wish to impact sport itself and its part in modern society, is the bad reputation of criticism put on to a great degree. Also, the most part of what has been argued here is as significant to the teaching of sport sociology as it is to explore in the field. We can't plan to engage the interest of our students basically by subjecting them to hurtful verbal confrontations between various hypothetical points of view. From the beginning, sport must take its place alongside sociological

Sport is defined as any competitive, physical activity that is guided through established rules. However, not all individuals would say it is the definition of sport, as there are many ways to define sports depending on the individual. So what is truly sport in the eyes of viewers and fans that are spread out around the world? But, clearly everyone has their own definition of what sport means to them and how important it is to the society. Sport is seen as an irreplaceable and valuable aspect that belongs to the American people which allows benefits to occur in the society. At the same time, sport can also be harmful to the society, but, many people choose to ignore or not see it. Though many would rather see the benefits of sport, instead of the harmful side of sport, as they rather choose to support sport as a benefit to the society. But, the society should not forget that sport can bring benefits and harms to the society as a whole. To understand the benefits and harms that sports bring to society, it would be best to understand the sociological perspective of functionalism and conflict theory as it will assist in deciding the most single benefit and harm to the society.

There are informative elements in sports.That is why sports contributes personality development to a large number of people. Also, spots are a useful activity to have fun, stay healthy, or make friends. Therefore, a lot of people all over the world are playing sports regardless their age or gender. Changing the viewpoint, sports are supporting the international economy or taking a role in intercultural exchanges. That is why sports have been a significant contribution to human society and is inseparably related to human

At the start of this essay, I suggested that some of the female athletes I would be interviewing may feel the need/desire to counteract their supposedly 'masculine image' they portray whilst playing sports by performing acts of femininity outside of the athletic environment. Kolnes (1995) investigated how female athletes across four different sports reflected upon their relationship between being a female athlete and the conceptions of femininity and reviewed that female athletes are exposed to constraints and paradoxes summarising that they are allowed to compete in sport but it cannot weaken their heterosexual attractiveness (p.73). Being a female athlete comes with expectations to project their sexuality through their behavioural characteristics

Research by Dufur (1999) found that men used sport in order to separate themselves from women by excluding women from taking part in games and contests since ancient time. In studying the ways men used sport to restrict women, several scientists conceived sport as a mirror of society. Sport reflects other institutions that might be beneficial for men, such as political structures and job. This source is not very recent; nevertheless, it provides pertinent information on the key issues that underpin the poster project. This source contains a wealth of general information about gender differences in sport. It is neutral because many scholars have argued for the significance of examining gender differences regarding

Gender issues According to (Coakley, 2010) society provide very particulars role for women and men. According to (Hoard, 1973, p.36) sexual discrimination with women started from her birth. (Embry, Padgett and Caldwell, 2008) find out that male dominancy is still present for women. (Whisenant, Pedersen and Obenour, 2002) suggested that sports is only for men and it correlated to masculinity. (Norman, 2010) find out that women treated as B-class in the sports activities. Gender issues are innate matter in all over the world. Removing of this issue started from the grass level by dire steps. Gender means perspectives, roles and domestic tasks of males and females (Sancar. A, Sever. C, 2005). Cluster lively exercise for occurrence can boost the knowledge of participants about gender- specific socialization, stereotypes and position patterns (Frey Regina, 2003). Women have restricted opportunities in subjugated professions.(Cutler & Jackson, 2002; Garey, 1999; Hewlett, 2002; Williams, 1995). Gender philosophy in sports belief that “masculinity is synonymous with sport” (Anderson, 2008, p.7).It is clear that specific social, societal and structural factors have disadvantaged women and have meant that their participation in sport has dogged by problems.(Peyton, C. 1989). According to