Sport, Race and ethnicity Flashcards
What is social stratification?
Refers to the hierarchy of layers or divisions of individuals and families in a society where position is a major source of rewards
What is Race?
A category of people regarded as socially distinct because they share genetically transmitted traits
What is ethnicity?
The cultural heritage of a particular group
What is a minority group?
A group with limited access to economic and political resources
What does BAME stand for?
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
What is racism?
Actions, attitudes and social policies which are formed by beliefs about specific and distinct racial characteristics
What is ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the act of judging another culture based on preconceptions that are found in values and standards of one’s own culture.
Why is the idea of race conceptually weak and difficult to operationalise?
. Interbreeding makes a pure racial grouping impossible
. Races are defined differently in different societies
. Skin colour is a sliding scale, not a discrete category
. As much diversity within ‘races’ as between ‘races’
what has research shown about ‘race’?
The Human Genome Project shows us that ‘race’ is genetically meaningless
Why Sports science research on ‘race’ is methodologically flawed?
The suggestion that black athletes are good at sprinting because of higher amount of fast twitch yet more whites cycling and swimming
What ‘racial’ disparities are there in many aspects of UK society?
. Unemployment rate
. Employment mobility – lack of BAME groups in senior positions
. Health outcomes – ‘not good health’
. Educational achievement – % achieving 5 GCSEs (incl. Maths and English)
. Education participation – permanent exclusion from school
. Housing conditions – people per house
How does Sporting success perpetuate the myth of physical differences between ‘races’?
. ‘Objective proof’ of physical difference
. Fosters a culture of anti-intellectualism amongst black male youth
Why is sport not such a great leveler?
rags to riches tails are actually not common with the chances of success very minimal
What does sporting success hide?
The commonplace reality of racism in everyday life
How does socialisatiopn explain the prominence of certain racial groups in certain sports?
. Impact of longstanding belief that blacks are physically superior to whites
. Teachers encourage black pupils into sport and away from academic pursuits
. A self-fulfilling prophecy
How do role models explain the prominence of certain racial groups in certain sports?
Sport provides many of the few successful role models for black youths
What is the role of ‘race’ in UK sport for Grass roots participation?
. Black African (60%) and Black Other (80%) men have higher participation rates than the national average for England (54%)
. Indians (47%), Bangladeshis (46%), and Pakistanis (42%) have the lowest participation rates amongst men
What is the role of ‘race’ in UK sport for elite participation?
In some sports (football, track and field, basketball) black males are considerably over-represented, whilst Asian males are considerably under-represented. (stacking)
What is the role of ‘race’ in UK sport for Managerial and Administrative Positions?
Few black footballers go on to become football managers – Glass ceiling?
Team GB Coaches and officials – Coe, Woodward, Moynihan
What is the role of ‘race’ in UK sport for Spectatorship?
Less than 3% of spectators in the Premier League are ‘non-white’
What is stacking?
the overrepresentation of certain racial groups in certain playing positions within a sport
How did sport and race policy develop in the Uk in the 20th century?
‘Sport for all’ (1970s)
‘Race’ riots (1980s)
The ‘racialisation’ of sports policy focusing on ‘deprived areas’ and ‘problem’ communities
Focus on facilities (availability, location)
Ethnic minorities as a ‘target group’
What is the critique of the 20th century developments of sport and race polciy?
. Assimilation or multiculturalism
. Homogenises ethnic minorities
. Problematises the target group, not the actions of the mainstream
