Sports Has Different Meanings For Different People And Across Societies

The influence that modern sports have had on society within the past few centuries is profound. Billions of individual’s worldwide tune in through various forms of media in order to support their most revered establishment. Throughout the hardships and adversities that humanity has overcame, and will continue to overcome, one can turn to the world of sports to escape from these destitutions. The athletic activities provide and fuel the competitive spirit found deep within, and permits supporters to have the greatest amount of encouragement and backing of an organization possible. As society has progressed through a multitude of circumstances, the world of sports has adjusted its standing in society in order to stay relevant and withhold

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.

This section will outline how, throughout history, the role of Women in Society that has been reflected in the role of Women in Sport.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a time of immense change in Europe. Germany had recently unified, destabilizing the centuries-old balance of power. The second industrial revolution was in full swing, and Europeans thrilled to the latest inventions, from the skyscraper, the first airplanes, and, most ominously, to the machine guns of Maxim and Krupp. During this time, Europeans perceived sports in a number of ways. First of all, many saw sports as an arena to train their nations for war. Secondly, others saw sports as a unifying principle around which to build nationalism and ethnic identity. Finally, many simply saw sports simply as a healthy and productive activity.

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.

Over the course of time, sports have come to signify masculinity; athletics such as football and basketball easily having come to deem where one fits in terms of societal norms regarding gendered bodies. One could argue that sports, in a modern context, have come to be synonymous with the idea of athletic and/or muscular bodies, which are those that are not regarded as the bodies of ideologically feminine ones given the intense and high pressure nature. In “Sports and Male Domination: The Female Athlete as Contested Ideological Terrain” written by Michael A. Messner in 1988 sheds light on the idea that traditional images of femininity have come to solidify male privilege through the construction and naturalization of gendered characteristics regarding women such as weakness, fragility and dependency .

“Women who play men’s sport have constantly to negotiate their status in traditional cultural contexts of men’s power and privilege, and in a general discourse of femininity, patriarchy and compulsory heterosexuality” (Craig & Beedie, 2008).

Women are empowered, encouraged and even pressured into being involved in a sport or some type of fitness activities today; however, it hasn’t always been that way (Cahn 278). In the 1920s, also known as the “golden age” of sports, women and young girls faced obstacles such as rejection, gender discrimination, and stereotypes when showing interest in sports or fitness activities. One famous author named Susan Cahn, wrote a book called Coming on Strong: Gender and Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Women’s Sports, and focuses on the decades between the 1920s and the 1960s. For most of the 19th century, females were accused of causing a great deal of danger to the moral and physical areas of masculinity. Through the research of multiple different aspects, such as media, appearance, and gender roles, Cahn puts together an idea and theme that athleticism is seen as a masculine trait because it was once constructed by society itself; which fortunately for the women, that idea can be changed. In the later centuries, Cahn writes about the progress of woman 's appearance in sports, however then describes the difference in respect, attention throughout media, opportunities and wages between men and women. Through both primary sources such as newspapers, interviews, and journals, as well as secondary sources like relevant literature, Cahn writes her book in a historical non-fiction genre. After reading Coming on Strong: Gender and Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Women’s Sports by Susan

Athletic endeavors have long been an integral part of human society from some of the earliest development of civilization. Sports have always served as a metaphor for life and the triumphs of human performance which are readily displayed by many historical and contemporary competitors are the subject of praise and admiration for millions of people. Thus, professional athletes occupy a surprisingly important position in world culture and their exploits can have wide reaching consequences that extend far beyond their field of competition. This is the basis of the case Sandel makes in his book as he examines the role of sports from a very philosophical standpoint. With the advent of performance enhancing drugs and the use of medical therapies

Race in sports has seen to be a very controversial topic that always follows the celebration of the body with it wherever it travels. Sports are a cross section of human society, and thus have been elevated to a certain status within our nation. The role of race in sports has proven to be a very powerful moving institution of the game, on the other hand in some cases race has been seen as a detrimental catastrophe for how sports operate. In good light, race in sports can be used

Women’s participation in sports has changed over the centuries. In ancient times, men dominated societies. Women were viewed as the caretaker, a provider for life. Women who did participate were criticized and were thought of as threatening. In 18th century America, women were considered inferior to men because of the belief that women are the weaker sex. A woman’s purpose in life was to take care of the house, children, and husband. When they did want to participate in recreational sport, they need to be able to negotiate with men and with other women because societies did not make it easy for women to participate. For example, there was a

As Macgregor’s athletics carnival lacks in the participation sector, with the research of Figueroa’s Framework mainly concentrating on the individual level has found that, with survey results shows that students feel that athletics is

In another research, Bryson (1987) found that sports have always been a construction of hegemonic masculinity. A sport such as football receives attention and is linked with masculinity where the use of force, violence or aggression can be seen. Women who attempt to do sport are merely challenging the hegemonic masculinity is already in place.

“Sports are for fun, but they also offer benefits and lessons that carry over into all aspects of life”. This well-known anonymous quotation conveys the message that sport is the game which has some rules and custom. It is not only for fun and entertainment, but there are also some benefits of playing sports and which gives some important lessons for life. Every kind of physical sports is healthy because it involves running, jumping, stretching, mind skills and much more. There are so many sports available in the world nowadays, but we can categorize them by the numbers of players, the three main categories are individual sport, dual sport and team sport.

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.