Upward Mobility Through Sports Stanley Eitzen\'s Article

Upward Mobility Through Sports

Stanley Eitzen's article "Upward Mobility Through Sports" is an analysis of the ability of individuals to raise themselves upward through the social stratification that currently exists in America. Sports are often seen by those on the lower end of the social strata as a means of rising up and becoming economically successful. However, Eitzen points out that the chances of rising socially and economically through a career in professional sports is not likely. This article fits in with the readings from our textbook as they discuss the existence of social stratification and the effects on an individual of their position within that society.

Chapter 7 in our textbook opens with Murray Milner's theories on high school social structure as a means to begin a discussion on social stratification; or the inequalities among individuals and groups within society. This leads to a listing of the three characteristics that all social stratification systems share. Firstly all social rankings apply to categories of people who share common characteristics such as gender or ethnicity. Secondly people's lives are dependent upon how their social category is ranked, and thirdly, social ranks tend to change very slowly. Different ranks of social strata can include forms such as slavery, caste systems, or more common in the West, class. Class as a means of ranking can differ from slavery or caste systems because class systems are fluid, positions within the class are partly earned, class is equated with economic resources, and class systems are not based on individuals but impersonal groups. It is suggested in the readings that class divisions, particularly in Western nations, are beginning to weaken. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion of the most influential theories of social stratification, theories put forward by Karl Marx and Max Weber. Marx's theory of social stratification is based on economics and more specifically in relation to the means of production in an industrialized society; and divides society between either industrialists or the workers. Weber's theory is also economically-based but divides people based on ability and achievement. However, Weber also involves the idea of "status," or the way others view an individual within a society, as being important in social stratification.

Eitzen begins his article with a few examples of individuals who have succeeded in raising themselves from their lower position in society to one of prestige and wealth through a career in sports. After giving a few success stories, Eitzen then begins to explain exactly why these individuals are the exception and not the rule. Many believe that through sports an individual can gain a free education and even a college degree, but the percentages of those who actually receive scholarships or eventually graduate from college are very low for athletes. Those who choose this path often expect that they can become a professional athlete and make millions, but even of those who do become professional athletes, most never make the millions that a few, famous athletes do. Sports can often be seen by those who are poor as a means of escaping the poverty of their social position, but again statistics indicate that a very small percentage of those who choose to become athletes ever become successful. And as Eitzen asserts, the chance of becoming a star athlete, rising out of poverty, and becoming wealthy is extremely low, but even more so for women. There is a distinct lack of opportunity for women in sports to begin with, but added to the insignificant chance of becoming a sports superstar, women have little or no chance to use sports as a means of social or economic advancement. Finally, because athletes have such a small number of years to become successful, once this window of opportunity is gone athletes have very little chance of finding other types of careers.