Lecture 1 The Sociology of Sport 2023 PDF

9/9/2024 The Sociology of Sport – What is it and why study it? KINS 121 LECTURE #1 For next class - Review the following on Moodle: Definition of Leisure from Wikipedia Canadian Index of Wellbeing Reports – Time Use St...

9/9/2024 The Sociology of Sport – What is it and why study it? KINS 121 LECTURE #1 For next class - Review the following on Moodle: Definition of Leisure from Wikipedia Canadian Index of Wellbeing Reports – Time Use Study Katy Bowman Podcast – begin at minute 18:30 (SLOTH model) Impact of pandemic on physical activity in key settings – review main points Question … What comes to mind when you think about ‘sport’ or ‘sports?’ 1  9/9/2024 Source: Lara Killick The sociology of sport is concerned with the deeper meanings and stories associated with sports in society Goals Think critically about sports. Learn to identify and understand social problems and issues associated with sports. Look beyond performance statistics & scores to see sports as social constructions. Make informed choices about sport participation and the place of sports in our lives. Transform sports in progressive ways. Using sociology to study sports Sociology is the study of the social worlds that people create, maintain, and change through their relationships with each other. Sociologists are concerned with actions & interactions in particular social contexts. A social world is an identifiable sphere of everyday actions and relationships. Such as a family, a soccer team, an athletic department, a college, a community, etc. Sociology provides useful concepts, theories & research methods – to see connections between our lives & the larger social world. 2  9/9/2024 Sports are social phenomena Sports are related to the social and cultural contexts in which we live. Sports provide stories and images used to explain and evaluate these contexts. Sports provide a window into culture and society. Key concepts used in sociology Culture—the shared ways of life and shared understandings that people develop as they live together. Social interaction—people taking each other into account and, in the process, influencing each other’s feelings, thoughts, and actions. Social structure—the established patterns of relationships and social arrangements that take shape as people live, work, and play with each other. Definitions Sports are physical activities that involve challenges or competitive contests. Play is an expressive activity done for its own sake (and it is motivated by internal rewards). A spectacle is a performance meant to entertain an audience (for the sake of obtaining external rewards). Sports contain elements of play and spectacle. This infers that athletes are motivated by internal and external rewards. 3  9/9/2024 Sports are social constructions... parts of the social world that are created by people as they interact with one another under particular social, political, and economic conditions. This means that sports can take different forms and be given different meanings from one situation, culture, or point in time to the next. Sports are not static activities—they are changed as people and circumstances change. Sports are contested activities There are ‘struggles’ over the following: The meaning, purpose, & organization of sports. The people allowed to play sports and the conditions under they play. The people and organizations that sponsor and provide the resources needed to play sports. Sociology of Sport A subdiscipline of sociology and physical education that studies sports as social phenomena. Focuses primarily on organized, competitive sports. Asks critical questions about sports in society. 4  9/9/2024 The Great Sport Myth Why study sports in society? Sports are socially significant activities for many people. Sports reaffirm important ideas and beliefs, including ideologies. Ideology → a shared interpretive framework that people use to make sense of and evaluate themselves, others & events in their social world Sports are integrated into major spheres of social life: Family, economy, media, politics, education, and religion. “Dominant Ideology” Represents the ideas, beliefs, and interpretive frameworks favored by people who have power and influence in society It serves the interests of people with power and influence Gender ideology Racial ideology Social class ideology Ableist ideology 5  9/9/2024 Class activity Make a list of all the various sports we’ve collectively participated in and/or competed in Discuss spheres: Family, economy, media, politics, education, religion Discuss dominant ideologies Gender, racial, social class, ableist For next class … Please review the following information on Moodle: Leisure information from Wikipedia Time use information Katy Bowman podcast – the SLOTH economic model (@ 18 min mark) Changes due to the pandemic 6