chapter 18

1. chapter18 Sociological Aspects of Sport Mary Jo Kane

2. Introduction • Discipline called sport sociology Nearly 40 years • Gaining an in-depth awareness • Social • Political • Economic

3. Defining Sport Sociology • Coakley (2004) Subdiscipline of sociology that studies sports as parts of social and cultural life • Theories and concepts • Examine organizations and microsystems • Examine subcultures • Examine social patterns, structures, and groups (continued)

4. Defining Sport Sociology (continued) • Underlying assumption A critically important institution • Fundamental goal • Describe patterns of participation • Describe social concerns • Ultimate concern Understanding and meaning of sport as a social, political, and economic institution

5. Role of Theory in Understanding Sport • Making important connections • Among facts and phenomena • Organize them into meaningful patterns or explanations • Help us make sense of the world • Principal aim To describe, explain, and predict human behavior

6. Social Significance of Sport • Vast resources invested • Licensed sport products • Broadcast rights • Advertising • On- and off-court behavior • Gang and date rape • Violence and aggression • Drug use and abuse (continued)

7. Social Significance of Sport (continued) • Positive consequences Unifier of people • Negative consequences • Sexism • Racism • Homophobia • Violence (continued)

8. Social Significance of Sport (continued) • Vehicle for social change Sport has incredible power to serve as a vehicle for social change

9. Benefits of Sport • Socializing agent • Unifier of people

10. Sport As a Socializing Agent • Socialization process Society’s dominant values, attitudes, and beliefs are passed down from generation to generation • Role learning Young children learn to think and behave by various social roles available to them (continued)

11. Sport As a Socializing Agent (continued) • Mastering critical social skills • Responsible neighbor • Productive student and coworker • Loyal friend • Companion • Involvement in sport as spectators or participants

12. Sport As a Unifier of People • Gives people a sense of personal identity • Group membership and social identification • Cuts across race, class, gender, age • Linkages to transcend tension and conflict • Brings individuals together as team members

13. The Dark Side of Sport • Eating disorders • Sexism in sport • Leadership roles • Media coverage of women’s sports • Homophobia and heterosexism in sport • Racism in sport • Violence in sport

14. Eating Disorders • How big is the problem? • 7 million women • 1 million men • Some groups more at risk • Especially true for females • Bombarded with images and message that “thin is perfect” • Need to evaluate studies carefully

15. Sexism in Sport Differences between men and women • Athletic scholarships offerings • Athletic budgets • Access to facilities • Salaries for coaches and administrators

16. Leadership Roles • Coaching positions in women’s athletics • In 1972, 90% female head coaches • In 2004, 44% female head coaches • In 2004, 8,500 coaching positions, majority filled by men • In 2004, 2% female coaches in men’s athletics (continued)

17. Leadership Roles (continued) • Administrative positions in women’s athletics • Before Title IX, 90% women • In 2004, 18.5% women

18. Media Coverage of Women’s Sports • Amount of coverage • In 2004, 6.3% of total sports television coverage • In 2000, 5 to 10 times less than men in print coverage • Types of coverage • Referring to female athletes as “hotties” • Soft pornography (figure 18.2) • Sports Illustrated

19. Homophobia and Heterosexismin Sport • Definition A universal fear or intolerance toward gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals • Females • Athletes at risk • Coaches at risk • Males • Particularly oppressive and intolerant • Historical role of sport

20. Racism in Sport • Stacking • Professional players • Managers in professional sports • Leadership in intercollegiate athletes • Racial stereotypes • Natural abilities • Sports media coverage • Biological and cultural destiny

21. Violence in Sport • Physical and sexual assaults Seven examples in textbook • Question: Why is this happening? (continued)

22. Violence in Sport (continued) • Possible answer: glorification Encourages men to equate their hyperphysicality with behavior that demeans, intimidates, and sexualizes others • Possible cause: mainstream sport media Offer mixed messages (continued)

23. Violence in Sport (continued) • Dominant themes of televised sports • Masculinity • Televised sports manhood formula • Winners have strength, speed, power, and guts • Ruthlessly aggressive men win • Passive or weaker men lose

24. Sport As a Vehiclefor Social Transformation • Catalyst for change • Reinforce with appropriate social values • Instill individuals with a deep-seated commitment to make important and long-lasting contributions to society (continued)

25. Sport As a Vehiclefor Social Transformation (continued) • Examples • Jackie Robinson • Other minority professional athletes • Turbulent 1960s • Magic Johnson • Women’s participation • Challenging homophobic beliefs and practices

26. Implications for Sport Managers • Knowing about people • Snyder (1990) • Get people involved • Taking the proactive approach • Adherence to sport and exercise • Get more women interested