The Sociology of Sport

Social Issues

Definition: Problems that affect many people within a society.

Society is unfortunately a place that has social inequality, with power, prestige and wealth unequally divided.

Inequality - is defined as the unfair situation where resources or opportunities are distributed unevenly within a society.

One of many books written.

• Lack of money/cost of participating
• Lack of confidence/self esteem
• Lack of role models to aspire to as participants/coaches/leaders
• Myths of stereotypes in some sections of society.

Social Change

Definition: an alteration to the social order of a society.

Gender Socialisation

Social Stratification

Social Change occurs when a institutions re-adjust to meet 'new needs' of groups in society such as women.

For example, social changes offered by leisure providers such as local councils via more creche facilities to minimise/lessen the negative effects of child care.

Definition: involves the learning of behaviour and attitudes historically considered appropriate for a given sex. 'Boys learn to be boys'.

Social Change

Activity

Definition: A type of social inequality where society is divided into different levels on the basis of a social characteristic, such as wealth or status.

Summarised here

Activity 1 - Identify sporting examples of Social Inequalities.

i) Where it has had an effect.

ii) Where it hasn't (but should have) had an effect.

Institutions:

Society is made up of a number of institutions, with the family known as the most basic unit.

An institution is defined as an established organisation founded for a religious, educational, professional or social purpose.

Which agencies affect this the most?

Modern day societies use individual wealth as a means of stratification. The importance of stratification is that those at the top of the system have greater access to facilities than those at the bottom.

Activity 2 - Identify a sporting activity linked to those from a middle or upper middle class group and give reasons why there is limited access to this activity for those in 'lower' social classes.

Thumbs Up

Task - Watch the below video about The Chris Gayle Academy and note down three key points about Cricket for Change as a scheme designed to bring about a social change.

Status/Wealth

e.g. In the feudal society of pre-industrial Britain, the upper classes had access to equipment and facilities which meant they could participate in sports such as real tennis which used a specialist court and equipment.

Questions

Write and Answer all Questions

Social Class

2. Define the terms primary and secondary socialisation. (2 marks)

3. Identify different reasons why aerobics is a popular pastime among women compared to a sport such as rugby. (4 marks)

Society

Definition: A term used to define social inequalities, i.e. certain groups have more access to wealth, income and power than others . Factors which contribute to social class include a person's job, family background, education and income.

Definition: An organised group of people associated for some specific purpose or with a shared common interest.

Socialisation

Success in sport on a global scale is often seen as an important measure of the relative status of a society or nation in the world. For example:

VS

Class System

Rocky vs Drago

the Ashes: England playing against Australia at cricket.

Definition: a life long process where members of a society learn its norms, values, ideas, practices and roles in order to take their place in that society.

the Olympics: Nations rankings in the medal table

USA vs Russia: Olympic competition is seen as the cold war without weapons.

Primary Socialisation: refers to socialisation in the early years of childhood which takes place mainly with the immediate family. A key process at this stage is internalisation of a society's culture where individuals share and accept its norms.

Teams and Clubs

Social Control

Secondary Socialisation: occurs during the later years (teenagers & adults) when the family is less involved and other 'agencies' are set up for the socialisation process.

Definition: a concept that refers to the way in which peoples thoughts, feelings, appearance and behaviour are regulated.

Internalisation: The learning of values or attitudes that are incorporated within yourself.

Social Action Theory

Which is more socially acceptable?

Historically, our society has been male domintaed, with restrictions placed on women engaging in sport. Nowadays, the constraints are less pronounced, however milder forms of social control exist.

For example, mild disapproval from their husband or male partner might persuade women to limit their physical activity

Definition: A way of viewing socialisation, emphasising social action.

Sport has developed a way alongside aspects of society such as class structure, education family. Social action theory stresses the fact that people can intervene in social processes and change them.

Social Action

The Interactionist Approach: The study of how people behave within society.

Interactionist theory is useful in understanding how to:

• Change sports to match the perspectives and identities of those playing them
• Make sport organisations more democratic and less hierarchially organised.

Sociology

Sociology can be viewed as having 2 main concerns:

1. Examining interactions and interdependence, i.e the way people live in groups within society and therefore interact with others throughout their everyday lives.

2. Examining how human behaviour becomes controlled, e.g. via family members, friends, schools etc.

Equal Opportunities

Definition: The right to access the same opportunities, regardless of factors such as race, age, sex, mental or physical disabilities.

Can you give me your definition of:

• Prejudice
• Discrimination
• Stereotyping

Equality

Exam Style Questions

The Sociology of Sport

Practice makes permanent

Chapter 3.2