The Sociological Development Of Sports

Youth sports have taken on a whole different identity, thus changing the sporting experience for youth athletes. Today this is what we have, “Children are playing fewer sports, and the less talented are left behind in recreational leagues with poor coaching, uneven play and the message that they aren’t good enough” (Rosenwald). Youth sports used to be much more relaxed and focused on creating an environment for kids to develop socially more than athletically. Yes, skills were still taught during practice, but not with such an intensity that exists today. Today, some youth teams take training and winning very seriously. It has become customary for kids to play on elite teams from a very young age. This creates a gap between the more talented

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.

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.

Contests in skill, strength and speed have occupied an important place in every culture throughout the ages. The meaning of the term sport and the effect that sport has on society is always changing. Sports have especially changed in the last two decades and can certainly be evidence by the growing number of labor disputes and court cases involving all sports.

Over the last decade, the prominence and relevance of sports has permeated the social fabric of American culture. As a sociological construct, sports have helped create a new sense of identity for millions of Americans by appealing to their personal and physical needs and by subconsciously influencing the manner in which they interact with one another. When analyzed through a sociological framework, sports have the capacity to transcend racial, political and socioeconomic barriers making it one of the world’s most powerful community-building institutions.

Sport is an ever growing aspect of our cultures, and as the access to different avenues of sport begin to present themselves we question the ability of sport organizations to expand globally. This review of literature will examine different avenues of sport and the research that has been done in regards to their effort to expand on a global scale.

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.

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.

According to the textbook racial and ethnic issues have become more prevalent in sports as global migration and political changes have allowed people from diverse backgrounds to come together to follow their dreams of playing sports (Coakley, 2017, p. 216). An example of this is many major league teams have training facilities across several continents allowing athletes from across the globe to be discovered. Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Gift Ngoepe is the first South African born player to make it to the major leagues. This breakthrough has force society to create perceptions about the South African culture and how it impacts Major League Baseball.

Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Tom Brady, LeBron James, and Serena Williams are just a few of the names that have dominated the sports world within the past century. These people mastered their craft in ways that many before them could not achieve and carved the way for the future generations of athletes to follow in hopes to be just as successful as them. On top of that, millions of dollars are attached just to their name because of how successful they are playing sports. However, if it were not for sports, they would be normal people living normal lives and not regular household names and glorified celebrities. So the question is, how did they gain such popularity and fame? Sports in America have gained popularity

a) Pre - 1990 : Little or no government involvement but the Wolfenden Report is commissioned

My understanding of sport has changed dramatically as a result of my interaction with this course. Even though I am an avid fan of sport and even coach athletes there is much about sport I have learned from this class that I previously had no idea about pertaining to the capitalism of sport. My understand of sport and my attitude towards it has changed greatly as a result of this course, the exploitation of athletes, and the way sport evolves and spreads due to the soft power of larger countries are areas that my attitude and understand have changed.

Sport plays a huge role in today’s society. It contributes to one’s health and fitness, social interaction, social and motor skills, patriotism, fun and entertainment. It also stimulates the economy and tourism leading to interaction between different cultures, for example the Olympics, and sport role models. Sports clearly are an important part of cultures and societies around the world as such events as the Olympics

The period of 1865 to 1950 was critical to the formation of “Modern” sport that is recognized today. In an article by Allen Guttmann titled From Ritual to Record: the nature of modern sport, Guttmann outlines seven characteristics that played a central role in the development of sports. These concepts were created as a sociological history of sports and took into place both American and European competitions. Guttmann’s notions of secularism, rationalization, bureaucracy and quantification, among others, all advanced the culture of sports; yet the most important of the stated characteristics is equality.

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.