Historical Approaches to Sport and Physical Culture in Canada

Historical Approaches to Sport and Physical Culture Hockey is Canada All human behaviour decisions, actions, incidents, as well as larger social institutions and structure have histories. They are rooted in socially constructed traditions, norms, customs, and cultural and personal values tha...

Historical Approaches to Sport and Physical Culture Hockey is Canada All human behaviour decisions, actions, incidents, as well as larger social institutions and structure have histories. They are rooted in socially constructed traditions, norms, customs, and cultural and personal values that are, in some cases, constantly changing against the backdrop of broader political and cultural struggles. 1. How did we get to this moment? 2. How have governing bodies organized sport in “preferred” ways? 3. What groups have power and resources in both sport and society? 4. Why are athletes (re)acting in certain ways? 5. Why are particular sports and athletes culturally revered, while others are ignored even denigrated? 6. When and where does the history of sport in “Canada” begin? Why have certain sport ideologies persisted?  Historical Sensitivity the ability to locate social issues, interactions, and behaviours in the broader narrative of history to understand the complexity of contemporary society in recognition that all moments have a history and that history is important for understanding the present and imagined future. Sport is not developed in a vacuum- it has always been a reflection of or a response to social, political, and economic issues taking place in Canada and around the world. When placing current moments in their social historical context, we need to ask critical questions: 1. How did the press cover this event/moment? 2. What documents exist that can tell us how and why these decisions were made? 3. How can we bring together different perspectives of the past to understand the power relations and social structure shaping this moment? All social histories have important ideological and political implications.. Discussion Question Take 3-5 minutes and write down what hockey means to you? Once you have done it, pair up and share with the student next you. What are common features to understanding hockey today?  The History of Hockey and Canada Hockey is firmly embedded in the national identity of so many Canadians, and in the identity of our cities and communities. Hockey is imagined as Canada’s sport Whether a person plays or watches hockey, hockey is a social practice and institution that is intimately connected to our primary and secondary socialization. Meaning hockey has can be conceptualized as an agent of socialization that that teach us more than game itself (positions, game strategies, statistics), but we learn many life lessons about commitment, teamwork, merit, gender, race, and citizenship.  The Development of Modern Sport “Modern” sport was a product of the mid-19th century Industrial Revolution when fundamental transformation occurred in manufacturing, agriculture, the textile industry, transportation) and the many technological and social changes that came with it. Viewed as a progressive transformation, “modern” sport was organized, structured, and regulated in sharp contrast to the unorganized and localized sport in the pre-industrial era. It is a history of capital accumulation, unequal class and power relations, commodification and hegemony. Sport as a cultural form became characterized by competitive individualism and achievement, privileging some social groups over others.  Mass Changes in Communication, Technology and Transportation Prior to the 19th century getting to sporting contest took a long time as it meant travelling by foot, horse, or canoe to reach the destination. This also mean that only wealthy members or elite of society has the leisure time needed for the travel and execution of sport. Contests against others could only happen in close proximity and news about sporting contests mostly travelled by word of mouth By the 1920s we had many Canadian newspapers had full-time men and women sports reporters on their staff.  Hockey and Canadian Nationalism Hockey is Canada’s national winter sport and it is understood by many as the “game of our lives” or the “game we tell ourselves about what it means to be Canadian (Gruneau & Whitson, 1993) Hockey is embedded in discourses of Canadian nationhood. Although hockey was only formally recognized as our national winter sport in 1994 hockey has been lined to stories of Canadian nation since the 1870s helping develop national identity post-Confederation.  Discover Canada Study Guide for Citizen https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/englis h/pdf/pub/discover.pdf  Men at Play: A Working Understanding of Professional Hockey hockey reproduced dominant notions of “manliness” or of what it means to be “properly” masculine through everyday interactions with other players and coaches traditional masculine gender role in sport, often learning it is socially valued to be strong, dominant, aggressive and even violent. Sports continue to prescribe and reinforce beliefs about gender, including whether to accept or resist them.  Hockey for Girls and Women Women and girls have a long history of playing hockey in Canada however women have struggled to gain legitimacy and resources to have equal opportunity. Adams (2009) describes how by 1920s women challenged dominant ideology that women are weak, passive, and fragile by playing fast, aggressive hockey. However, the vote was unsuccessful and women were denied this right on the grounds that hockey is a contact sport that was too rough for women and that women should be content with participating in other competitive sports such as tennis, swimming, skating, and track and field events. (Adams 2009).  Indigenous Peoples, Racism, and Hockey Indigenous peoples in Canada have a long tradition of games and physical contests that were connected to the land, ways of life, and skills of survival. Prior to European contact Indigenous people played traditional games at celebrations and Kneel Jump, Traditional Inuit Game community events. Photo credit: CBC The Artic Winter Games  Hockey as a Tool of Colonization As Forsyth argues, “sports and games were thus pivotal sites through which power was legitimized and exercised through Aboriginal bodies in the residential school system (2012,p. 32) Hockey Taught patriotic values appropriate masculine and feminine behaviours Dominant norms and values of the colonizers  Current moments in modern hockey Humboldt Broncos Tragic Crash and the Women’s Professional Hockey Social Media outpouring Launch of the PWHL 2023-2024 Season Photo credit CBC sport When placing current moments in their social historical context, we need to ask critical questions: 1. How did the press cover this event/moment? 2. What documents exist that can tell us how and why these decisions were made? 3. How can we bring together different perspectives of the past to understand the power relations and social structure shaping this moment? All social histories have important ideological and political implications.  ALT #1 Socialization and Sports (Becoming an athlete or sports fan) For this applied learning task students will write 700 - 1000 words on their involvement (or noninvolvement) in physical play, informal games, and organized sports. The response should identify who was involved; your personal experiences related to family relationships/dynamics, friends, school, teachers, and coaches; key moments (at least one negative and one positive moment); intense memories; your current situation; and your anticipated future. Remember to draw on course readings and lecture materials in your answer. The goal of this assignment is to be critically self-reflective as you remember, describe, and analyze your sports experiences, the contexts in which they occurred, and the impact they had on you and others who were involved. You may want to considers Jason Laurendeau's critical reflection on his relationship to Canada sport. Laurendeau, Jason. 2023. “Youth, Sport, and Colonial Selves” EngagingSportshttps://thesocietypages.org/engagingsports/2023/06/08/ youth-sport-and-colonial-selves/Links to an external site. Ideas for assignment Think back to your early experiences of playing physical games and sports and describe them in terms of when they occurred, the context in which they occurred, and what was going on in your life as they occurred. How were those early experiences related to your age, social class, race or ethnicity, family, and neighborhood or community? When children first play sports (or do not play sports through childhood), they do so in connection with ideas about themselves, about their bodies, and about the meaning of their experiences. Where did these ideas come from in your childhood (ages 4–12)? How did they influence the patterns of your experiences and the emotions that accompanied them? Have they changed in your life since age 12? How have they influenced your experiences since childhood up to the present time? Opportunities to play sports and the character of sports experiences often are different for boys than they are for girls and for children from different racial or ethnic groups and social class backgrounds. Write about how gender, race/ethnicity, and social class influenced the sports you did or did not play as a child. Have factors related to gender, race/ethnicity, and social class influenced your experiences through your life to the present? Give examples of this influence or explain why these factors were not important in your sports experiences. Think about how your sports experiences or a lack of sports experiences have influenced your life. Write about this  Well done. Student answered all the questions. Student comprehended and apply sociological concepts and theories. Drew on course readings to explain their answer. Clearly 12 - 15 written with no spelling or grammatical errors. Good work. Student answered most the questions in paragraph form. Student demonstrated a strong understanding of sociological theories and concepts. Student applied concepts and 10.5 – 11.9 theories well but missed a key point. There were a few spelling and grammatical errors. Student answered half of the questions. Student appears to understand theories and concept but needs to explain them more clearly. Started to apply concepts and theories but was 9 – 10.4 missing key points. There were many spelling and grammatical errors that took away from their ideas. Student did not answer the questions. Student did not comprehend and apply sociological theories appropriately. It was difficult to understand what student was discussing and there 7.5 – 8.9 were many grammatic problems. 7.4 - 0 Did not follow the instructions and complete the task as proposed.