Socio-cultural Influences Flashcards
What are the 5 social groups that affect engagement patterns?
Gender
Age
Race/Religion/Culture
Family/Friends/Peers
Disability
What are the barriers for females participating in sports?
Sexism/stereotypes
Media coverage
Role models
Accessibility to clubs
Familiarity
Attitudes
How does gender affect participation?
Men’s sports dominate the media, contributes to fewer opportunities and less funding for women and fewer female role models
Gender tagging (sports associated with either men or women)
e.g. netball considered a feminine sport, boxing masculine sport. Can influence persons decision to participate in sport
What stereotypical views has women’s participation been affected by?
Women lack strength/endurance
Competitive women aren’t feminine
Women who train hard and develop muscles become more ‘male-like’ and have sexual orientation questioned
How does age affect participation?
A club may not provide for all age groups affecting what sport’s an individual will take up.
Age can affect ability to participate
e.g. weight lifting can be damaging to children
physical sports like rugby can be too demanding for elderly
How does race/religion/culture affect participation?
Some religions have strict guidelines affecting decisions to participate
e.g. some christians may not play sports on Sunday
Taking up a sport may be influenced by ethnic background
e.g. cricket is very popular among asian countries
Lack of role models
Racism
How do family affect participation?
Relatives may encourage you to take part in a sport and offer financial and emotional support. Can be introduced from an early age
Family commitments can affect available leisure time
Family members can be seen as role models
How do friends/peers affect participation?
Can influence what sport you take up. Peer pressure can lead you to an activity and is easier than going alone to a club
How can disability affect participation?
often stereotyped as being unable to take part in physical activity
Paralympics helped raise the profile of disabled sports
How have sports been adapted to disabilities?
wheelchair basketball
sitting volleyball
blind football
What are the three main categories of disabilitiy?
Mobility impairment - limits use of a body part
Sensory impairment - visual/audio/kinaesthetic
Mental impairment - neurological, cerebral issues
What are the factors influencing participation?
Attitudes
Role models
Accessibility
Media coverage
Sexism/stereotyping
Culture/religion/religious festivals
Family commitments
Available leisure time
Familiarity
Education
Disposable income
Adaptability/inclusiveness
What is Post Drop school drop-out?
the reduction in participation levels in young adults after they leave school
What is a barrier to participation?
an obstacle that prevents a group within a society from participating in sport or physical activity and therefore reduces overall levels of participation
What is a social group?
People who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and have a sense of unity
What is commercialisation?
the process by which a new product or service is introduced into the general market
What is the golden triangle?
the financial relationship between sport, sponsorship and media
How is sport and sponsorship linked?
Sports teams use money from sponsors to invest in facilities, players, coaches.
Companies sponsor teams, events and performers to promote their products to a wider audience
What are the types of sponsorship?
finance
equipment
facilities
How are sports and media linked?
Sports teams profit financially and benefit from increased awareness and exposure
Media pays for rights to broadcast sporting events
Media coverage can inspire people to participate in sport
How are sponsorship and media linked?
Media, which includes television, radio, internet and press, provide sponsors with a wider audience to promote their product or service
Can result in greater sponsorship for sports
What are the effects of commercialisation on performers?
+ increased income
+ better equipment & facilities
- loss of privacy & free time
- increased pressure to win
What are the effects of commercialisation on sports?
+ increased awareness
+ increased media coverage
- less funding for minority sports
- media can influence scheduling
What are the effects of commercialisation on officials?
+ income and opportunities to travel
- more scrutiny and negative publicity if officials make poor decisions
What are the effects of commercialisation on spectators?
+ more coverage
+ better equipment & facilities
- higher costs of attending events and merchandise
What are the effects of commercialisation on sponsors?
+ increased awareness and sales
- negative publicity if sponsored players or teams cheat, misbehave or perform badly
What is Hawkeye?
optical ball tracking device used as an aid to officiating in tennis and cricket
What is Television Match Official (TMO)?
used in rugby union and rugby league to make decisions using replays of incidents
What are the effects of technology on performers?
+ improved performance e.g. new bike parts making bikes quicker
+ improved analysis
- latest tech expensive
- can provide unfair advantage
What are the effects of technology on sports?
+ better facilities & security
+ improved performance/entertainment
- tech can fail
- may disrupt flow of play
What are the effects of technology on officials?
+ more accurate decision-making
- potential for over-reliance on tech
What are the effects of technology on spectators?
+ more viewing options e.g. live online streaming and ‘red button’ option
- high costs of tv subscription packages
What are the effects of technology on sponsors?
+ new opportunities for promotion & increased awareness
- high costs of funding new tech
What is etiquette?
the unwritten rules concerning player behaviour
What is sportsmanship?
playing within the rules, upholding the spirit of the game and using sports etiquette
What is gamesmanship?
the use of dubious methods, that are not strictly illegal, to gain an advantage
What is contract to compete?
agreeing to play by the rules, trying to win but also allowing your opponents to play
Examples of sportsmanship
A cricketer ‘walking’ before officially given out
A footballer kicking the ball out of play when another player is injured
Tennis players shaking hands at end of games
Examples of gamesmanship
Deliberately losing a game to get an ‘easier’ draw in a competition
Wasting time to break up the flow of a game or run down the clock
Faking an injury in any sporting activity
Examples of bad etiquette
celebrating before winning
Example of breaking contract to compete
taking drugs
Why do people take PEDs?
To improve performance and be more successful in their sport, which can lead to wealth and fame.
To level playing field if others are using them
What can being caught with PEDs lead to?
risks to health and reputation
fines, disqualification, lengthy bans
What do beta blockers do?
Reduce heart rate, muscle tension, blood pressure and effect of adrenaline
This steadies shaking hands, improving fine motor skills
What sports are beta blockers beneficial in?
shooting sports
e.g. darts
What are the disadvantages on beta blockers?
Can cause nausea, weakness, cramp and heart failure
can be prescribed by medical professional
What do diuretics do?
increase amount you urinate, causing weight loss
What sports are diuretics beneficial in?
when competing in a certain weight division
e.g. boxing or judo
What are the disadvantages of diuretics?
can cause cramp, dehydration, loss of salts, muscle weakness, heart damage
What do narcotic analgesics do?
kill pain, so injuries and fatigue don’t affect training as much
e.g. from overtraining
What are the disadvantages of narcotic analgesics?
addictive with unpleasant withdrawal symptoms
feeling less pain can make an athlete train too hard, causing overtraining
can lead to constipation and low blood pressure
What do stimulants do?
affect central nervous system
can increase mental and physical alertness
What are the disadvantages of stimulants?
can lead to high blood pressure, heart and liver problems, strokes
they’re addictive
What do anabolic agents do?
mimic testosterone
testosterone increases bone and muscle growth, so you get bigger and stronger, and more aggressive
What are the disadvantages of anabolic agents?
can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, infertility, increase risk of developing cancer
women may grow facial and body hair
What do peptide hormones do?
cause production of other hormones - similar to anabolic agents
EPO causes body to produce more red blood cells, increasing oxygen carrying capacity and endurance
What sports does EPO benefit?
road racing cyclists
What are the disadvantages of peptide hormones?
they can cause strokes, heart problems, abnormal growth and diabetes
Describe the process of blood doping
removing some blood from an athlete several weeks prior to a competition when red blood cell count is high (after training), freezing it and re-injecting before athlete competes
What does blood doping do?
increases number of red blood cells in the bloodstream, increasing oxygen supply to muscles, improving performance and endurance
What sports is blood doping beneficial in?
long-distance runners and cyclists, as increases cardiovascular endurance, can perform aerobically for longer, increasing chances of success
What are the positive influence of spectators?
creation of atmosphere - adds excitement, making event more enjoyable for spectators and players
home-field advantage - home team perform better as they’re in familiar surroundings with more fans supporting. Can intimidate opposition
What are the negative influences of spectators at matches?
Can put pressure on performers, perform worse as nervous and afraid to make mistakes
Spectators for younger people can put pressure on kids, discouraging them from taking up activities, negatively affecting participation
Lots of planning and money to ensure safety of spectators
Large groups have chance of crowd trouble and holliganism
What is hooliganism?
rowdy, aggressive and sometimes violent behaviour of fans and spectators of sport
What causes holliganism?
Rivalries
Drinking/ drug taking
Frustration at officials decisions
Display of masculinity
Gang culture
Peer pressure
Hype
How do rivalries cause hooliganism?
can be built up by press and media to seem more important, causing fans to take match more seriously
How do drinking/drug taking cause hooliganism?
can fuel aggression and violence
How does gang mentality cause hooliganism?
people feel less responsible for actions as they’re in a group
What strategies can prevent hooliganism?
Early kick-offs
all-seated stadiums
fan segregation
improved security
banning/ travel restrictions for hooliganism
alcohol restrictions
education/campaigns
How can early kick-offs prevent hooliganism?
Leaves less time between pubs opening and start of game, so fans less drunk during games
However, inconvenient for travelling fans to get to game
How can alcohol restriction prevent hooliganism?
control buying alcohol within stadium
however, fans drink more before game
How can all seater stadiums prevent hooliganism?
safer as less people packed together. Easier for stewards/ police to get to troublemakers
How can fan segregation prevent hooliganism?
stops fighting inside ground
Doesn’t help violence outside of stadium, can take longer for fans to get in/out of stadium
How can improved security prevent hooliganism?
number of police and stewards increase, boosts security
video surveillance/other tech monitor crowds
Although, can be expensive to install tech and pay extra police/stewards
How can bans/travel restrictions prevent hooliganism?
for fans who committed hooliganism in past e.g. confiscating passports
Worst offenders aren’t at games
How can campaigns and education prevent hooliganism?
educate fans about harm caused by hooliganism
