Culture (73-80)

Question 1

Explain the growth in Sports in the 70s

Answer 1

• Events became profitable in America with the increase in high-quality TV sets
• Businesses saw the opportunity of ad revenue - American Football was the best for this due to its regular stoppages
• Sports at first had a good sense of community
• Many were not in support of the over-commercialisation of sport
• 90% of men and 75% of women watched sport on TV
• Violence in sport increased, temptation to cheat rose, as the money became extreme

Question 2

Explain the development of Music in the 70s

Answer 2

• Psychedelic music died out in late 60s, with stars dying from drug overdoses (Jimmy Hendrix)
• Disco was popular - 10k open in ‘76
• Funk, jazz and soul were also prominent
• Punk rock appeared in the 70s, with the Sex Pistols
  (Aggressive music containing political radicalism that attracted the young working-class)
• Black music developed into hip-hop

Question 3

Explain the development of Film and TV in the 70s

Answer 3

• Complex, dark and gritty films were introduced, criticising American society
• Some were created to illustrate events that had taken place - All the President’s Men
• Escapism - Star Wars, Rocky - encapsulated American Dream
• Sci-fi films showed life in the future
• Blaxploitation - Independent black filmmakers showing life in ghettos, often overcoming corrupt white people in the end
• Some shows were still conformist - All in the Family (War Veteran and blue collar worker ranted about black people, homosexuals and hippies)