Sport - ✔✔ "an institutionalized competitive activity involving two or more opponents and stressing physical exertion by serious competitors who
... [Show More] represent or are part of formally organized associations"
"a competitive activity involving at least two competitors, requiring physical skill, following formal rules, and occurring within a formal organizational framework
What does sport represent? - ✔✔ represents "well-established, officially governed competitive physical activities in which participants are motivated by internal and external rewards"
What are key points from definitions of sport - ✔✔ Sport is physical in nature
Sport involves at least two people
Sport involves competition
Sport takes place within formally established parameters
what are the various levels of sports? - ✔✔ Informal
Organized
Corporate
Physical activity - ✔✔ "all bodily movements that cause increases in physical exertion beyond that which occurs during normal activities of daily living"
Exercise - ✔✔ specific form of physical activity in which the individual engages for the purpose of improving fitness, physical performance, or health
Prevalence of sport and physical activity - ✔✔ Represents one of the more popular institutions in American society
Incredible amount of money spent on sport and physical activity
Sports reaffirm important ideas and beliefs in many societies - ✔✔ Gender ideology
Racial ideology
Class ideology
Sociology - ✔✔ is the scientific discipline that describes and explains human social organization\
the study of social worlds that people create, organize, maintain, and change through their relationships with one another
the analysis of the structure of social relationships as constituted by social interaction
Key points from definition of Sociology - ✔✔ Sociology is an academic discipline aimed at scientifically studying phenomena
Sociologists study people and the institutions they create and maintain
Sociology is distinct from other scientific disciplines, like biology or psychology --- The focus is on the study of (macro) social issues and the manner in which people engage and interact with one another
Three key assumptions of the sociological approach - ✔✔ People are social beings by their very nature
Individuals are, for the most part, socially determined
People create, shape, and change their social contexts
Sociology of sport and physical activity - ✔✔ A subsection of sociology that studies sport and physical activity as social phenomena
Interested in examining various issues pertaining to the analysis of sport and physical activity
Sport and physical activity are social constructions
Consider how sport shapes and influences people's lives and their well-being
Also means identifying the issues and controversies prevalent within sport
In many ways, sport can be seen as a microcosm of society - ✔✔ Sport is a window into, or a mirror which reflects, the underlying values, beliefs, and assumptions of a cultural group.
Reflected in the way that the values in sport are also seen in society
Success in society - ✔✔ success and excellence as aspects that must be displayed and measured in the constant pursuit of human excellence
We value the self-made person, or the individual who has achieved money and status through his or her efforts in a highly competitive system
Success in sport - ✔✔ The focus on competition and success is also seen in sport
Oftentimes consider athletes and coaches who fail to win the "big" one as failures
Competition in society - ✔✔ Competition infuses almost all aspects of American society, from the corporate world to schools to the Cub Scouts to our sporting pursuits
Competition in sport - ✔✔ Observed readily in sport—one of the elements that differentiates sport from other activities
Can also result in negative outcomes
Means to achieve(reach/attain )in society
what are the valued means to succeed - ✔✔ Puritan ideal of hard work
Continual striving for excellence
Deferred gratification
Means to achieve(reach/attain) in sport - ✔✔ Athletes presumably obtain individual achievements in sport through hard work, perseverance and sacrifice
Progress - ✔✔ going forward to something considered better
Progress in society - ✔✔ American society places paramount importance upon the future.
Emphasis to the future and progress, to obtaining a better job, a brighter future, etc.
Progress in sport - ✔✔ Coaches, athletes, fans, the media and other stakeholders place a high degree of value on progress
Strive for continual improvement and progress towards goals, through setting records, winning more games and championships, or mastering new techniques to enhance performance
Materialism in society - ✔✔ The goal for many is to accumulate possessions that bring status and provide for a better way of life
This is realized in several ways, including our choices of homes, clothing styles, boats, prestigious neighborhoods in which we live, season tickets, and country club memberships, among others
Materialism in sport - ✔✔ In the 19th and 20th centuries, as sport became more businesslike, the corporate model began infiltrating the organization of sport franchises and governing bodies. [Show Less]