Surveillance In Sports

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

Abstract: Society is affected every day by many different kinds of sports.  These sports often govern society's way of life.  People all over the nation turn their TVs to sporting events, such as golf, during the weekends.   Scott Stossel states that "more than six million Americans enjoy watching golf on the weekends."  Parents  use sports as a teaching tool for their children.  Kids learn teamwork and discipline from team sports programs and  sports have also helped many students with their grades.  Kids who want to compete in school sports are taught to keep their grades up or they won't be able to play, but the greedy coaches and schools often look around grades to keep their "star athletes" in the games.  Adults have

Sports are something that everyone in the world, regardless of age, sex, or nationality, can enjoy. Whether it's a child playing in his first t-ball game or a professional athlete swimming in the Olympics and everyone in between, sports can connect almost everyone. Fan support and overall devotion for athletic competition has raised professional athletes to superstars and national icons; Super Bowl Sunday is a national holiday to some, and sports are one of the largest moneymakers in the economy.

Jessica Statsky, in her essay, “Children need to Play, Not Compete” attempts to refute the common belief that organized sports are good for children. She sees organized sports not as healthy pass-times for children, but as onerous tasks that children do not truly enjoy. She also notes that not only are organized sports not enjoyable for children, they may cause irreparable harm to the children, both emotionally and physically. In her thesis statement, Statsky states, “When overzealous parents and coaches impose adult standards on children's sports, the result can be activities that are neither satisfying nor beneficial to children” (627). While this statement is strong, her defense of it is weak.

Sports are a popular pastime among all ages and types of people. People not only participate in them for fun, but also for money, physical fitness, rush of competition, and for many other personal reasons. Playing sports is especially common among young people in schools. Athletics are great and enjoyable for many reasons, but there can be a point where sports participation can go too far and become negative for children and adults. Sports specialization for young people is an increasing trend that results in sports having a negative impact on individuals and society.

i. In the article “ The Impact of Sports on Adolescent Development” published in Forum on Public Policy in 2013, D.C Jack conducted a study that found

Participation in organized sports can provide an opportunity for young people to increase their physical activity and cognitive social skills. But, when the demands and expectations of organized sports exceed the maturation and readiness of the young athlete, the positive aspects of participation can be negated. It can be noted, that parent or adult involvement can influence the degree to which participation in organized sports is a positive experience.

Sociology is the study of the social worlds that people create, maintain and change through their relationships with each other. Sports in American society have a major impact on these social worlds and culture throughout the past century. Sports have an impact on social interaction, social structure and the shared ways of life and shared understandings that people develop as they live together. Compared to other forms of physical activities, sports are defined as “well established, officially governed competitive physical activities in which participants are motivated by internal and external rewards.” A critical sociological look into an individual’s development through sport is defined as a Sportography. Darion Scott, born and raised in Compton, California showed me through an interview of his sports history, how sports influenced his life in a positive way and provided a window into his culture and society.

Government surveillance in the past was not a big threat due to the limitations on technology; however, in the current day, it has become an immense power for the government. Taylor, author of a book on Electronic Surveillance supports, "A generation ago, when records were tucked away on paper in manila folders, there was some assurance that such information wouldn 't be spread everywhere. Now, however, our life stories are available at the push of a button" (Taylor 111). With more and more Americans logging into social media cites and using text-messaging devices, the more providers of metadata the government has. In her journal “The Virtuous Spy: Privacy as an Ethical Limit”, Anita L. Allen, an expert on privacy law, writes, “Contemporary technologies of data collection make secret, privacy invading surveillance easy and nearly irresistible. For every technology of confidential personal communication…there are one or more counter-technologies of eavesdropping” (Allen 1). Being in the middle of the Digital Age, we have to be much more careful of the kinds of information we put in our digital devices.

Sports are very vital. They offer a lifestyle, an occupation, and even a dream. Sports require physical activity and skill in which a team or an individual compete against others for entertainment. As David G. McComb comments in "Sports in World History", "there is a high degree of training, investment, and coaching, along with spectators, rules, publicity, and institutional control that come along with these activities." While participating in sports, it is required to be able to undertake a difficult situation and perform the best out of it. Sports are definitely more than just a game.

Public surveillance is a commonly debated topic, with its benefits constantly being weighed against it risks. Though it can be said to be beneficial in some cases, there are more risks to surveillance that make it dangerous. Governments should not trust public surveillance as their main form of public security, as there are negative effects on law enforcement, issues in the division of public and private lives of citizens, and problems with the ambiguity of laws on surveillance.

In the book entitled A Sociological Perspective of Sports, Wilbert Marcellus Leonard II says, “Many of us have strong opinions as to the value of competitive sports. Some of our beliefs are based on personal experiences, others are not” (219). I have my own strong opinions about the value of sports, most of which are based on personal experiences. I have been surrounded by, and involved in, competitive level sports my entire life.

Sports in society today can be entertaining to watch and also fun to play for both men and women of all ages. I am a person that takes sports very seriously in my life. I enjoy playing sports as much as I enjoy watching them on television. I started playing baseball when I was seven years old, and played up until I graduated high school. I also played basketball from fifth grade to a junior in high school. I think that I am so involved in sports because my family takes sports very seriously, and they got me involved in them at an early age. My Dad, Mom, brothers and cousins have all been active members of sports throughout their lives. We all enjoy doing anything involved with sports. It could be

Sports we support, follow and play today are part of our day-to-day lives and we forget that over 250 years ago the sports established today did not yet exist and the few that did would be unappealing and unrecognisable to the sports fans of today. Looking back to the history of sports we see a story of evolution, starting off as physical activities for survival; man hunting for food and rowing for

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.