Sociology and Sport Flashcards
Ideology, social issues
What is the sociology of sport?
-A sub-discipline of sociology that studies sports as part of social and cultural life.
-Focuses primarily on “organized, competitive sports”.
What is the difference between the sociology and psychology of sport?
-Psychologists study behaviour in terms of attributes and processes that exist inside individuals.
-Mental processes
-Sociologists study behaviour in terms of the social conditions and cultural contexts in which people live their lives.
-Social processes
(Coakley and Pike, 2014).
How are sports connected to ideologies?
Ideologies are the sets of interrelated ideas that people use:
-To give meaning to the world
-To make sense of the world
-To identify what is important, right and natural in that world.
Coakley and Pike (2014)
- Highly influential in sport e.g. patriarchal ideology suggests women shouldn’t participate in football or rugby, explains the gender pay gap in sports
- Female sporting events get less coverage as a results e.g. women’s rugby World Cup or females playing pool and golf
- Sports such as ice skating can reinforce dominant ideology of it being a feminine sport; reinforced by the ratio of male to female skaters in it and the lack of male dance partners for example
- As there is an increased coverage in female football, it is beginning to shed light on new role models and tackle such patriarchal ideology
How are sports connected to spheres?
Family - come together to engage in sports as a group, members often play similar sports to each other e.g. Neymar
Education - sport and PE is compulsory in the curriculum
Religion - football could be considered a religion, some cultures engage in sport as part of their traditions
Politics - influential on academic related education, politicians meet and spread acknowledgement of athlete achievements for popularity
Media - extensive reporting in the news, national and international events are shown on TV
Economy - consumerism, facilities, events
What is dominant ideology?
Represents the perspectives and ideas favoured by people who have power and influence in society.
Dominant ideologies serve the interests of people with power and influence.
As social constructions, sports can challenge or reinforce important ideas and beliefs…
What is gender ideology?
A set of interrelated ideas about masculinity, femininity and relationships between men and women.
Dominant gender ideology consists of prevailing notions of “common sense” about maleness and femaleness in a group or society.
Ideal femininities - gymnastics, curvy bodies, elegant, graceful, there for show and beauty
Ideal masculinities - bodies should show strength and aggression, violent sports, no protective equipment, boxing, wrestling
How has gender ideology been applied to Rapinoe’s goal celebration?
- Her celebration was seen as her having a big ego/big headed but when men such as Johnny Bairstow or male footballers lift their arms up, facilitating applause, it is seen admirable and as if they have done a good thing
- However in this such scenario, it could be a cultural thing e.g. Brits look down on Americans etc, more congratulating to people of their own country
- May be that patriarchal dominant ideology suppresses female identities so they are not expected to present selves in a way that draws attention to them (seen and not heard)
What social issues are there that could be connected to sports?
- Poverty
- Education
- Healthcare
- Immigration
- Social justice
- Racial discrimination
- Economic inequalities
- Unemployment
- Ageism
- Crime
- Substance abuse
- Human rights
- Gender inequality
Are drugs in sport a personal issue or a social problem?
Personal issue - individually affecting the athlete, their choice to take drugs (individual vs ‘network’ athlete debate Pappa and Kennedy, 2012)
Social Problem - economic inequalities, substance abuse, crime, widespread usage amongst athletes, a ‘known secret’ (Pappa and Kennedy, 2012)
