Sports Sociology
Sports played either by professionals, amateurs, or just for leisure, are a large part of all industrialized societies. Nonetheless, early on sociologists have looked at sports with distain. For instance Emile Durkheim thought of sports as simply ritualized civic ceremonies, whereas early feminists viewed them as masculine cultural displays (Giulianotti, 2005). However, Bourdieu, Elias, and Dunning were among the first sociologists to take a serious approach in viewing sports as sociological phenomena, although they understood that there were issues involved as Bourdieu (1990, p. 156) notes: "The sociology of sport: It is disdained by sociologists and despised by sportspeople."
Karen and Washington (2001) reviewed the sports sociology literature between the late 1980s to the early 1990s and found that the field was oriented more towards micro-level analyses about gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and the media. Macro-oriented level research during that period was underrepresented and mostly oriented toward gender and ethnicity issues.…...
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References
Bourdieu, P. (1990). In other words. Cambridge: Polity.
Eckstein, R., Moss, D.M., & Delaney, D.J. (2010). Sports sociology's still untapped potential. Sociological Forum, 25(3), 500-518.
Giulianotti, R. (2005). Sport: A critical sociology. Malden, MA: Polity.
Karen, D. & Washington, R. (2001). Sport and society. Annual Review of Sociology 27, 187- 212.
Sociology of Sport: The Ideals of Sport as a Reflection of Society
Sport has become a central part of society, introduced to children at a young age and often continuing to be part of a person's life throughout their lifetime. Sport impacts on people in a number of ways. In childhood, the focus of sport is often on participating, working with other people and aspiring to be the best you can be. Successful sports people also become heroes for children, something that continues into adulthood. As individuals grow older their focus may change from playing sport to watching sport. At the same time, sports people continue to be respected and viewed as heroes, the fact that successful sports people get paid millions in sponsorship money is evidence that they must have a major impact on consumers. There are few other aspects of society that begin so early in childhood and…...
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Bibliography
Dimmick, D. "Who Said Competition is Bad?" Penn State OpEd. Pennsylvania State University, July 2000. Retrieved December 3, 2002. URL: http://www.psu.edu/ur/oped/dimmick3.html
Doob, C.B. Sociology: An Introduction. Orlando: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 2000.
Kohn, A. No Contest: The Case Against Competition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986.
sport has come to be the leading definer of masculinity in mass culture." ob Connell, 1995
This statement covers such a huge amount of sociological assertions, a doctoral dissertation would not be able to do it justice. What is "masculinity" defined as and how has that definition evolved? What about "mass culture?" How far back shall we trace "historically recent times," and what was the situation before said times? What are some other definers of masculinity? Does the word only apply to those who are physiologically male, or is it a more general term used to describe certain personality traits?
Instead, it will examine the basic premise of the statement that sport is a major defining factor of what it means to be masculine in today's culture, and how and why that statement is true. It will do so first by giving a general history how we as society define masculinity,…...
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Bibliography
Alley, T. And Hicks, C. 2005. "Peer Attitudes towards Adolescent Participation in Male- and Female-Oriented Sports," Adolescence 40:158 Oriard, M. 2001. King Football, UNC Press, Chapel Hill.
Carter, T. "Baseball Arguments: Aficionismo and Masculinity at the Core of Cubanismo," in Mangam, I.A. And DaCosta, L. 2002. Sport in Latin American Society, Past and Present, Frank Cass, London.
Kimmel, M. 1990. "Baseball and the Reconstitution of American Masculinity, 1880-1920," in Sport, Men and the Gender Order, eds. Michael Messner and Donald Sabo, Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL
Lantz, C. And Schroeder, P. 1999. "Endorsement of Masculine and Feminine Gender Roles: Differences between Participation in and Identification with the Athletic Role," Journal of Sport Behavior 22:4
It is this struggle to maximize benefits that leads to such movements of social change in both politics and social revolutions. Conflict theory exists in direct opposition to the tenets of functionalist theory, arguing that instead of a society where everyone plays are particular part, society instead exists as a pyramid structure, with a group of elites that dictate the rules to the masses. Thus, all major societal institutions, including laws and traditions, exist for the sole purpose of maintaining this structure. Thus, according to the conflict theory, colleges and universities exist in order to perpetuate this status quo. On the one hand, colleges ensure that the elite become educated and thus capable of carrying on their leadership roles. On the other hand, students at the college are indoctrinated with the traditions of society.
Finally, the theory of interactionsim is based on the idea that nothing in society is determined…...
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Bibliography
Coser, L. Masters of Sociological Thought: Ideas in Historical and Social Context. For Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1977.
Harrington, a. Modern Social Theory: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.
Anti-discrimination laws are enforced and companies are rated by their policies of tolerance. Homophobia is gradually being extricated from the American consciousness and so is sexism. The media plays a major role in how the American consciousness changes and those changes have an indelible impact on the character of the American Dream.
Thomspon also notes that Thrice was well-loved by his teammates. The community rallied in support of Thrice and there was a general outcry after he died. Being American has always entailed appreciation for grassroots movements. The social and political realities that evolve depend on grassroots movements. Grassroots movements precede legislation and policy changes. America becomes more of a real democracy as grassroots movements offer a voice for the most disenfranchised elements of society. Grassroots movements prevent tyrannnies of the majority and enable minority opinions to make their way into public policy. The American government remains a government of…...
But despite these strides, the negative as well as the positive legacy of sports in American culture cannot be ignored.
eferences
About Title IX. (2010). University of Iowa. etrieved September 20, 2010 at http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/ge/aboutE.html
Douglas, Scott. (2005). unning through Kenya. Slate.com. etrieved September 20, 2010 at http://www.slate.com/id/2117122/entry/2117123/
Gettleman, Elizabeth. (2006, July). eview of William C. hoden's Forty Million Dollar Slaves.
Mother Jones. etrieved September 20, 2010 at http://motherjones.com/media/2006/07/forty-million-dollar-slaves
Johnson, Jenna. (2010). NCAA graduation rates. The Washington Post. etrieved September 20,
2010 at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/campus-overload/2010/03/another_ncaa_bracket_player_gr.html
Lehrer, Jonah. (2010, August 24). How to raise a superstar. Wired Science. etrieved September 20, 2010 at http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/08/how-to-raise-a-superstar/#ixzz107NwUSGh
Lovett, C. (1997). The fight to establish the women's Olympic marathon race. Olympic Marathon, Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., Westport, CT. etrieved September 21,
2010 at http://www.marathonguide.com/history/olympicmarathons/chapter25.cfm
Williams, Kam. (2006). eview of William C. hoden's Forty Million Dollar Slaves. AALBC.
etrieved September 20, 2010 at http://aalbc.com/reviews/forty_million_dollar_slaves.htm
Witt, Jon. (2006). The big picture. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Youth sports pushing kids, parents too far. (2010,…...
I enjoy baseball, the World Series (go Sox!) and the Super Bowl. I also enjoy ice hockey and figure skating. In a world where most of these sports are seen as decidedly masculine, I am often a rarity, a woman who enjoys watching sports (minus the beer, of course). In my own family I am an anomaly, too. I don't know where this enjoyment of sports came from, but I do enjoy many of these televised events, and it sets me apart from many of my friends and family. Looking at gender issues such as these can teach me more about life, about how we all relate to each other, and about our own prejudices and misunderstandings. A woman in a sports bar without a man is somewhat like a woman in a locker room - it happens, but a few eyebrows are still raised at the thought. I…...
Social norms are occasionally explicit or even codified into law: we are not supposed to walk around naked; talk to ourselves; or show up an hour late to a meeting. When we break any one of the explicit social norms we pay, either by being criticized, ostracized, or penalized. Breaking a subtle social norm by standing around doing nothing is more difficult to target. No one can point a finger and say, "You shouldn't be doing that," even though some people might think I look funny.
The concept of the sociological imagination as well as Cooley's "looking glass self" illustrate how identity and self-image are sociological constructs. When standing around doing nothing, I felt like an outsider because I was not participating in the normative behavior of the crowd around me. Being alone is in itself not a problem but without at least appearing to have a purpose in standing…...
Family, as sociology recognizes is one of the most important institutions that contribute to the process of primary socialization of an individual. However, like all other institutions, family is one of the crucial grounds where feminists have a lot to argue about and they fight for the rights of women and the need to be given an appropriate space and respect in the household.
As the distribution of work in the household goes, the traditional belief and concept is that the women are the ones who need to stay home and monitor all the necessary chores and the domestic work needed around the house. However, the feminists seem to be highly critical about this particular thought. They have begun to question why it is seen as the women's sole responsibility to look after the needs of the children and tend to every individual in the household. Since the feminists…...
Sociology and Req. For a Dream
ARequiem for a Dream@ takes sociological deviation to the extreme. Deviation is defined as behaviors which do not conform to significant norms held by most members of a society or group. This movie uses drugs as the deviation and shows how it destroys the four main character's lives. Harry and his girlfriend start out as ambitious young adults with dreams of starting their own clothing store. Tyrone just wants happiness with his girlfriend. Lastly Sara Goldfarb, Harry's mom wants to be on television. The three friends end alone, with nothing but their addiction to heroin and Sara is committed to an asylum because of the effects of the speed she uses to lose weight in order to be on TV. There are many specific sociological principles that apply to things that happen within deviant subcultures. This movie illustrates a good many of them in fine…...
I agree completely with your post. All of us have a natural tendency toward loss of objective perspective and we tend to view the world through the prism of our own lives and in a manner framed by our personal experiences and standards of living. I admit to having caught myself many times worrying too much about things that, in reality, are extremely minor compared to the challenges and hardships faced by others. Sometimes, I am embarrassed at the types of concerns that can preoccupy my thoughts until I am confronted by those whose concerns obviously dwarf mine and who would probably give anything just to have the opportunities and comforts in my life that I sometimes take for granted. On those occasions, I try to use the experience as a way of helping me refocus my perspective from my self-centered needs and to consider…...
Some feminists argue that all pornography is bad for women because it is degrading to women (Peterson, 1998). The "victims" need protection, they claim, which, ironically, they say comes in the form of laws restricting what women legally can and cannot do with their own bodies.
While it can be argued that pornography reinforces negative male attitudes towards women in society and it increases the incidence of sex crimes, these are unfair claims (Peterson, 1998). While men may bring deep-rooted attitdevelop negative attitudes towards women. Even if pornography were banned, negative attitudes towards women would not disappear. In addition, there is little evidence to suggest that widespread distribution and use of soft-core pornography increases numbers of sex crimes.
In addition, it is important to note that many men who support feminism and women's rights enjoy pornography (Peterson, 1998). In addition, many successful heterosexual couples in committed relationships use soft-core pornography to improve…...
everal authors like ullivan (2001) point out the hypocrisy in drawing arbitary lines around certain classes of drugs. In fact, all drugs are potentially harmful. Even caffeine is bad for health when abused. Legally acquired pharmaceutical drugs can be lethal, whereas marijuana has no known cases of overdose. The discrepancy in laws and sentencing policies should be eradicated in order to create a more just society. As Walsh & Hemmens (2008) point out in the chapter on "Law and ocial Change," the prohibition on drugs is no different than the prohibition on alcohol. Both have caused the proliferation of organized crime and neither solved the underlying issues related to mental and physical health. One of the main reasons to legalize drugs is to reduce the market power of organized crime syndicates. Prohibition of alcohol "literally kick-started organized crime in the United tates, and ushered in a decade of gang wars…...
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Sullivan, a. (2001). The Distinction betwen legal and illegal drugs is arbitrary. In Rolleff, Tamara L. 2004. The War of Drugs: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.
Walsh, a. & Hemmens, C. (2008). Law and Social Change. Walsh & Hemmens.
Wisher, R. (2001) Illegal Drugs Should Not Be Legalized. In Rolleff, Tamara L. 2004. The War of Drugs: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.
Why does Judge Murray Sinclair note that the legal concept of innocence/guilt is not granted by Aboriginal societies as it is in the Canadian Justice System?
In Aboriginal communities, guilt is typically secondary to the main issue: the main concern is that something is erroneous and it has to be corrected. Since the main purpose is the reinstatement of accord rather than the imposition of reprimand, the accused is more likely to confess bad behavior. Judge Sinclair proposes that possibly this explicates why so many Aboriginal people plead guilty when in court. The Canadian criminal justice system is founded on Euro-Canadian principles and, as a consequence, frequently clashes with Aboriginal values. High levels of imprisonment, augmented focus from law enforcement, language hurdles, conflicting values and theoretical frameworks concerning crime and punishment, as well as certain issues faced by youth, all add to the breakdown of the criminal…...
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References
Family Violence. (1996). Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, vol. 3,
Gathering Strength. Minister of Supply and Services, Canada.ISBN: 0-660-16415 -- 9.
Stolen Sisters: A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence Against Indegenous
Probable causes accounting for this are a holdup in the identification of cardiovascular ailment in women might not be enough to reveal medical implication. Variation in the accepted chronology of coronary arterial ailments is found in the genders, especially connected with the effect of menopause. Age of appearance, appearing of signs, influence of different causes of danger, and results of treatment vary between the sexes. (Tecce; Dasgupta; Doherty, 22)
In general, coronary artery ailment occurs 10 years past in life in women compared to men, and the median age for MI in case of women is approximately 20 years older, branding coronary heart ailment which affects elderly women. The causes for these disparities is not wholly intelligible, even if the prevalence of the sickness of coronary artery in women in the fertility years becomes low, signifying that endogenous hormones seems to exercise a defensive part beyond menopause. Postmenopausal women rapidly…...
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References
Barnett, Rosalind C. Gender, Job Stress and Illness. Psychosocial and Organizational Factors. Volume 2; No: 1; 2000; pp: 1-34; 77
Carmel S; Bernstein JH. Gender Differences in Physical Health and Psychosocial Well Being among Four Age-Groups of Elderly People in Israel. International Journal of Age and Human Development. Volume: 56; No; 2; 2003; pp: 113-131
Deborah, Gesensway. Reasons for Sex-Specific and Gender-Specific Study of Health Topics. The Annals of Internal Medicine. 2001; Volume: 135; No: 1; pp: 935-938.
Evangelista LS; Kagawa-Singer, M; Dracup K. Gender Differences in Health Perceptions and Meaning in Persons Living with Heart Failure. Heart Lung. Volume: 30; No: 3; May-June 2001; pp: 167-176
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