Sports Ethnography Analysis

I would like to discuss the issue of race and ethnicity in sports. We will also explore the bigger questions. How much does race and ethnicity matter in the sports world? Are certain races dominant in certain sports? Is there a difference in how we treat players based on race and ethnicity? Does it matter? I would like to answer some of these questions and gain a better understanding of how much of a part they play.

Sport Movie Review 42, The True Story of an American Legend I recently saw the film, 42, and I found many connections with our Sociology of Sport class. First and foremost, the movie was about the baseball legend, Jackie Robinson. Jack broke the baseball color barrier and was the first African American player allowed in Major League Baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers beginning in 1947. Jack was a strong, talented player, but he also had a mind of his own. He played with an attitude that would be taunting to other players. When he made it to the Montreal Royals in 1946, he had to quickly get rid of this taunting, smart attitude. He was the only black player in a time of hatred and prejudice in the United States. Although he

One socioligical explanation as to why African Americans excel in athletics is because it is viewed as a way of upward social and financial mobility. Being one of the world’s largest institutions, sports generate billions of dollars in revenue each year. Specifically, the National Football League generates six billion dollars in revenue a year (Sports Industry Overview, 2009). The life of an NFL player is filled with fame, fortune and limitless opportunites, something that the majority of young children dream about. The reason we see more African Americans succeeding in sports is because they have limited resources and opportunities for upward social mobility elsewhere. With the poverty rate among African Americans so high (24.7 %) they often do not have the resources to excel in education so instead they look to sports as a way of socio-economic advancement (Bureau, Poverty, 2009). Sports sociologist Harry Edwards defines this concept of black youth using sports as a way of social mobility as “blind faith”. Edwards explains three reasons as to why black families push their

Consequently, in regards to the Canadian context, the reader may be asking, how can sport help Aboriginal youth given the dismal past of Aboriginal sport policy? As such, at this juncture, the numerous challenges Aboriginal youth face must be discussed in order to properly contextualize how sport participation can be tremendously helpful for Aboriginal communities. Accordingly, despite only encompassing 3.8% of the total Canadian populace, health and social issues are disproportionately prominent within Aboriginal communities (Ning & Wilson, 2012). Consequently, these particular challenges will be examined through the following variables: physical health, mental health, and criminal justice.

It is a known fact that sports are a significant factor into the way of life for Americans. Families will sacrifice much of their lives to see one of the children become a professional athlete. One of those sacrifices is money. Money for some families, seems almost unlimited while for

Race and Social Class Influence Problem Social discrimination among athletes has been a major issue for decades, which has impacted the growth of professional athletes, all around the world. This paper will further shed emphasis on these issues and also how race and social class influence who becomes a professional athlete.

The Racist issues of the Sport Industry Sports as an industry is quickly evolving into a grand, formless entity with many avenues, opportunities for scholar-practitioners, and segments that have prolonged the business of sports like never before. But, not quite in the racial area of the sports world, whether it is in the media or through personal experiences, Racism has always been a part of history, but today, it seems as if theirs have been modestly an acceptance of racism. As the industry expands a growing blend between the worlds of sports and entertainment has also formed, linking the two together, and bringing entertainment to the forefront in sports in terms of sponsorships, marketing, athlete representation, team ownership and sports law have effected. Professional American athletes should be against prejudice and racism in sports because it created prejudice and unequal right for speech and protest while amplifying prejudice in professional sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL.

The significance of sport in American culture can be traced back as early as when the Native Americans dominated the territory. In evaluating the importance of sport during this time period, Gorn and Goldstein focus on two important concepts that can be compared with today’s sporting landscape. First,

INTRODUCTION The institution of sport has been known to facilitate to the constructive development of individuals and has been used as a mechanism to engender positive social change within communities. As such, this research seeks to examine the historical and modern arrangements of Canadian Aboriginal people’s participation in sport by

This points out the lack of communication problem and it’s not only a white race or a non-minority problem, it’s every race problem. Like when Black person want to buy a house he buy a house in a Black Neighborhood, he goes to a Black church and the same for people of other races. Since the sports is just a reflection of our societies, it makes perfect since to see the

How do racial identities play a role in the development of professional athletes? In order to dive into this topic we can follow the works of social theorist W.E.B. Dubois. Dubois introduced the world to sociological theories such as the veil and double consciousness. This analysis of the racial consciousness of athletes is based upon DuBois 's works. In this research, I will provide examples of how the Veil and Double Consciousness theories play out in current professional sports.

Throughout the history of sports, racism has always been an evident issue. Although, in today’s day and age, racism is not always obvious, it still exists throughout all ages and levels. Today’s racism can be considered through what is called the plantation metaphor. The plantation metaphor in states that it is very common in sports to have a white owner or coach, and black players. It is compared to a plantation because the players are looked at as if they are almost slaves because they make significantly less than the owners do, even though they are doing the brunt of the work. Despite the players hard work and effort, the owners still have full control over where the player plays and how much money that individual makes in his or her contract. This metaphor is very accurate in sports today at the professional level.

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the implications of the thematic analysis of the subject field. It connects the themes of the interviews with the literature on racial stereotypes and it’s impact on individuals and the sport they participate in.

All around the world the most celebrated and nationally know people are those that are prime elite athletes. Many athletes, no matter the sport, become legends and are spoken about for decades after their reign. One might assume that having incredible athletic talent on display overshadows all other factors about the individual, however society refuses to let ability dwarf the concept of race; thus it often becomes the first thing noticed about an athlete. It is no secret that some socially constructed racial groups dominate one sport over another. For example, most elite swimmers are of European descent, while track and field stars are generally of African descent. It is not wrong to call a racial dominance of sports to attention, however

Introduction: Sport has often been viewed as an agent linked to the constructive development of individuals and as a mechanism that can foster positive social change within communities. As such, this paper intends to examine the recent expansion of sport for development (SFD) programs within Canadian Aboriginal communities by exploring the historical and concurrent structure of Aboriginal sport initiatives within Canada. Given this, the most pervasively used definition of SFD came in 2003, from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace, which recognized it as, “all forms of physical activity that contribute to physical fitness, mental well-being and social interaction, such as play, recreation, organized or competitive sport, and indigenous sports and games” (UN, 2003, pp. 5). In Canada, the Canadian Sport Policy, exemplified the institutionalization of this paradigm and formalized the perceived value of SFD initiatives as evidenced by the creation of a strategy specifically intended for Indigenous participation and prioritization in Canadian sport: the Aboriginal Participation Policy (Paraschak, 2012; Te Hiwi, 2014). This policy is significant because it is the primary means of guiding Sport Canada’s efforts as it works with both the Federal and Provincial levels of government to confront systemic inequities, which limit Aboriginal peoples’ participation in sport (Thibault & Harvey, 2013). Moreover, the APP was predicated upon the