Exam #2 Flashcards
Why were organized sports important to young boys?
organizers hoped that sports, especially team sports would teach boys from working-class families to obey rules and work together productively. Also hoped that it would toughen middle and upper class boys and turn them into competitive men, despite the “feminized” values they were taught from their mothers
What were the first sponsors of organized sports?
public, private, and commercial organizations
Who were most of the programs targeted towards?
Most programs were for boys eight to fourteen years old, and they were organized with the belief that playing sports would prepare them to participate productively in a competitive economy
Until what time were girls largely ignored by these organizations and sat in the bleachers during their brothers’ games in hopes of becoming a cheerleader?
1970
What stimulated the growth of sport programs for girls beginning in the mid-1970s and by the 1990s girls had nearly as many opportunities as boys?
Women’s movement, and govt. legislation prohibiting sex discrimination in education, including school-sponsored sports.
Neoliberal societies
societies where individualism and material success are highly valued and where publicly funded programs and services are being eliminated and selectively replaced by private programs
What are the six changes that have influenced the current status of organized youth sports?
- The number of families with both parents working outside of the home has increased
- Early 1980s major cultural shift in what it means to be a “good parent” those who can account for their children 24/7, children monitored and controlled, children success parents can claim
- Many people believe that informal, child-controlled activities inevitably lead to trouble, young people seen as threats to social order
- Many parents response to fear-producing news stories about murders and child abductions now see the world outside the home as dangerous for their children, organized sports as a protection
- Visibility of high-performance and professional sports has increased people’s awareness of organized competitive sports as a valued part of culture, modeled after professional sports
- The culture of childhood play has nearly disappeared in most segments of postindustrial society, especially in the U.S. Children today have few opportunities to engage in spontaneous play activities that involve creativity, seen as a “waste of time”
One troubling issues raised by six social changes?
Mothers and fathers in working class and lower income households are increasingly defined as irresponsible and “bad” parents because they lack the resources to fund sport participation for their children as wealthier parents do. Perceived as uninterested in nurturing the dreams of their children
5 ways youth sport is changing?
- organized programs are becoming increasingly privatized, more youth sports are sponsored by private and commercial organizations, fewer sponsored by public, tax-supported organizations park and rec programs
- Organized programs increasingly emphasize the “performance ethic” : participants in youth sports, even in rec. programs are encourage d to evaluate experiences in terms of their progress in developing technical skills and moving to higher levels of competition
- Increase in private, elite sport-training facilities dedicated to producing highly skilled and specialized athletes who can compete at the highest levels of youth sports. Parents spend significant amounts of money to buy sport training for their children
- Parents are increasingly involved in and concerned about the participation and success of their children in organized youth sports, youth sports are now serious activities for both adults and children
- Participation in alternative and action sports has increased. Young people prefer unstructured, participant controlled activities such as skateboarding, snowboarding, jumping rope and other sports that have local or regional relevance.
