Content
- Sport is a reflection of society
- Barriers to participation
- Socio-cultural and economic factors
Social differentiation is the way in which groups separate themselves from each other – through appearance or behaviour. The opportunities to participate actively in sport are STRATIFIED according to socio-cultural characteristics such as race, gender or class.
e.g. golf for white, suburban middle class whilst boxing multiracial – urban working class males. Positions in rugby white coaches, scrumhalf
Sport is often described as a microcosm of society, reflecting miniature facts of society, being played out in front of global audiences.
Dominant groups in society can exercise power and control over minority groups, discrimination occurs when opportunities are not available to all. This can be overt – restricted membership or convert-relating to a deep seated belief
e.g. racism in South Africas rugby team during Apartite
This can be split into two areas:
Socio-cultural and economic factors that affect opportunity, participation, provision, attitude and values:
Studies show two of the most important factors in becoming an elite athlete are: family involvement in sport, and development of friendships through sport.
Gender – culturally determined roles that men and women play in a particular society. Women’s progression to elite level is affected by issues of sexism – usually stereotypical views of the strengths and qualities of women in sport. The view of a housewife, mother, physical weakness or a question over sexuality for elite athletes only perpetuates these views.
Race – refers to the physical characteristics of an individual, whereas ethnicity refers to cultural heritage - language, religion (the media use these terms interchangeable).
Racism – is a set of beliefs and ideas based on the assumption races have distinct cultural characteristics and that some races are intrinsically superior.
Stereotype - ..a fixed, over generalised belief about a particular group or class of people (Cardwell 1996
In sports where achievement is based on objective measurements e.g. athletics, it is harder to discriminate.
In team games there are still issues with centrality (close to the central position, where interaction is frequent). The key of centrality is leadership and a degree of responsibility. These positions still tend to be predominantly white, with black players more commonly found in non-central positions – this is known as Racial Stacking.
Rooney Rule – due to the lack of opportunities in coaching and management for black coaches. This rule in American Football allows minority coaches access to interviews within the sport.
Sport is seen as a route to social mobility (rags to riches). Success leads to the creation of more role models and the breakdown of barriers.
Disability – someone with a form of impairment, which affects their ability to engage in an activity. There is a significant difference in participation in sport between disability people (9%) and people with no disability (23%)
The barriers to participation include; stereotyping, lack of specialists, lack of media coverage and role models.