Sports & Society Flashcards
(17 cards)
Engagement Patterns in Sport Between Different Social Groups
Gender
- reason
- effects
Stereotype:
* Females are less strong than males so cannot compete in the same sports
* Feminine females are not ‘sporty’
* Female fertility can be affected if they are too physical
* Muscular females are too ‘male-like’
Effects:
* Female sports receive less media coverage
* Professional female athletes and players receive less money (from advertising or wages) than males for the same sport
* Women receive less encouragement to partake in sports by society
Engagement Patterns in Sport Between Different Social Groups
Race, religion and culture
- reason
- importance of role models
Racial prejudice and resulting discrimination may lead to fewer opportunities for some groups
Cultural traditions and norms, such as dress codes or observation of religious festivals, may clash with training and events
Economic deprivation that exists in some cultural groups may limit access to some sports, e.g.
* Sports that are more expensive, such as skiing or horse riding
* Sports that are more time-consuming
The presence of role models, particularly in the media, from a diverse range of races, religions and cultures is important to educate society and encourage more people to participate in sports
Engagement Patterns in Sport Between Different Social Groups
Age
reasons for:
* young people
* working- age adults
* old age
Young people:
* Young children may not be confident in physical activities due to a lack of coordination and motor skills
* Access to certain sports may depend on school sports
* facilities or school traditions
* Parent or teacher preferences may mean that some sports are more familiar to young people than others; people are more likely to participate in familiar sports
* Physical abilities of teenagers change during adolescence due to growth spurts; this may affect confidence
* Teenage participation in sports can also be affected by issues around changes in appearance and peer pressure
Working- age adults:
* Less access to sports than students
* Leisure time may be limited by work
* Available leisure time may be taken up by family commitments
* During menopause women experience many changes in their bodies which may affect their ability to partake in sports
Old Age:
* Weight change
* Reduced flexibility
* Decrease in physical strength
* Media coverage of sports shows younger people participating in sports and may discriminate against older sportspeople
Engagement Patterns in Sport Between Different Social Groups
Family, friends and peers
- positive influences
- negative influences
Positive Influences
* Attending matches
* Providing emotional support
* Making financial contributions
* Providing transport
* Participating in the same sport
Negative Influences
* Other family commitments, such as the activities of siblings, may clash with sporting events
* A family may prioritise other events that are not sport related
* There may be peer pressure to be involved in a particular activity or not
Engagement Patterns in Sport Between Different Social Groups
Disability
have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on [their] ability to do normal daily activities”
* have limitations depending on disability
* not all sports may have adapted version
* could be discriminated against
Commercialisation
Golden Triangle
- definition
- summary of golden triangle and how its linked
‘The process of making a product available for sale for financial gain’
The golden triangle shows the relationship between sport, the media and sponsorship. It represents the commercial – money-making – nature of sport.
Sport is connected to media:
* Media providers pay event organisers for the rights to broadcast certain sports
* Sports fans pay subscriptions to media providers that broadcast sports and events that they enjoy
Sport is connected to sponsorship:
* Businesses provide money and products to well known sportspeople and teams
* Sport raises the profile of a business, potentially increasing sales
Sponsorship is connected to media:
* Business profiles are raised when they sponsor sports that feature frequently in the media
* Businesses may pay the media for advertising time during sports broadcasts
Sponsorship
- types of sponsorships
- Financial, such as one-off payments to a club or team
- Clothing and equipment, including footwear, e.g. football boots
- Facilities, such as training grounds, clubhouses or gym equipment
Positive & Negative Impacts of Sponsorship & the Media on the performer
Positive:
* * provide athletes with additional income; this may give them better access to training facilities, clothing, equipment and footwear
* * Being in a better financial position may free performers from paid employment, giving them more time for training
* ‘gifted’ free clothing, equipment or footwear to use, and they may receive payment for wearing branded merchandise
Negative:
* A high income for performers may give unwanted ‘celebrity’ status and take them away from normal life, routines and structures; this can cause unwanted attention and impact free time and privacy
Sponsors may give certain conditions in their contracts which may mean performers have to attend particular events or give interviews; this may take away free time or privacy
Performers may have to wear or use clothing or equipment which may not be suitable or to their liking; this may impact performance or go against their values
Poor performance may risk a loss of sponsorship and therefore income; this can put unnecessary pressure on performers to succeed
Positive & Negative Impacts of Sponsorship & the Media on the sport
Positive:
* * Increased income from sponsorship for a sport and its teams reduces the pressure to receive income from spectators and fans; focus can instead be put on improving players’ skills or raising money for other facilities
* Sponsorship may allow clubs to improve facilities in the sport, such as new equipment, clubhouses, paying for coaching, physiotherapists, and the development of training and outreach programmes
Negative:
* Some sponsorships, e.g. from alcoholic products, may give a negative image to the sport; this might distract from the values of the sport and promote other attributes such as poor health
* High-income sponsorship is associated with the media and is focused on sports receiving high levels of media interest, such as Premier League football in the UK; this means there is less financial gain for minor sports
Positive & Negative Impacts of Sponsorship & the Media on the audience and fans
Positive
* better facilities, better players and the** sport is played at a higher standard**
* Spectators can view sports in a variety of ways, such as TV or the internet, from the comfort of their own homes
* * The use of better technology at matches, such as instant replay, means audiences can be more informed and involved in games
* Watching sports on devices means there are a variety of camera angles and commentary used for a better viewing experience
* Fans have an array of sports merchandise available to them which allows them to be more integrated with the sport and other fans
* More popular sports may have longer seasons and more games which gives more viewing opportunities for audiences
* Increased media coverage and sponsorships of sports means there are more sports to view with dedicated sports TV channels, radio, magazines, newspapers and websites
Negative
* Popular sports with more media coverage have higher costs associated with viewing live matches (e.g. ticket prices) or purchasing merchandise; this may limit accessibility for some social groups, such as those with lower incomes
Positive & Negative Impacts of Sponsorship & the Media on sponsors
Positive:
* can help publicise and raise awareness of a brand; this can increase revenue through increased sales of products
* Positivity associated with a sport, e.g. health and fitness, can be transferred to a brand or company; this can help sponsors reach larger audiences and improve their reputation
Negative
* The reputation of a brand may be affected negatively by any wrongdoing from a sponsored team or performer; this may affect sales
Conduct of Performers
- definiton
- examples
Behaivour of people is called conduct
Etiquette
Etiquette is the unwritten rules, or customs, of a sport; it is expected that performers and participants follow these rules
E.g. shaking the hands of opponents and officials before or after a game
Sportsmanship
This means that participants play by the rules and within the spirit of the game
It involves respecting others in the sport, including the opposition, and acting graciously upon losing
E.g. congratulating an opponent on their win or helping out an injured player from an opposing team
Gamesmanship
This involves ‘bending’ the rules in such a way as to not be punished or disciplined for rule-breaking; this is often to gain an advantage over other competitors
E.g. distracting an opponent or purposefully time wasting
Prohibited Substances in sport
Stimulants
These are substances that increase activity in parts of the brain; effects include:
* Increased alertness
* Decreased reaction times
* Reduced tiredness
* Increased aggression
* legal substances such as caffeine, or chemicals produced in the body, such as adrenaline
* Illegal stimulants, such as amphetamines, are prohibited in sports
They can have negative side effects:
* Highly addictive
* Raised blood pressure
* Reduced sleep quality
* Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes
* Increased risk of injury due to being more tolerant to pain
Narcotic analgesics
* Very strong painkillers are known as narcotic analgesics
* They can be used to numb the pain that might result from overtraining and injury
* These are highly addictive and have strong withdrawal symptoms
* E.g. the legal painkiller morphine (this may be prescribed by a doctor to relieve pain from an injury), illegal heroin
Anabolic agents
Anabolic agents are used to increase muscle mass and growth
This can help improve:
* Strength
* Stamina
* Speed
* Competitiveness (through increased
* aggression)
* Recovery from injury
E.g. illegal anabolic steroids
Side effects include:
* Addiction to the substance
* High blood pressure
* Liver, kidney and heart damage
* Shrinking of testicles
* Biologically female athletes may develop a deeper voice, body hair and smaller breasts
Peptide hormones (e.g. EPO)
Peptide hormones are naturally occurring hormones within the body
They can help improve muscle growth, thereby improving:
Strength
Stamina
Recovery from injury
Energy levels
EPO is a peptide hormone secreted by the kidneys which regulates red blood cell production
Synthetic EPO can be taken by athletes to increase red blood cell count
Side effects include:
Headaches
Nausea
Increased viscosity (thickness) of the blood
Duiretics
These drugs remove excess water from the body by causing more frequent urination
They can cause rapid weight loss so may be used where weight categories are in place, such as in boxing
Prohibited Methods in Sport
Blood doping is used to increase the number of red blood cells in the body
This is also known as an individual’s red blood cell count
* Increases cardiovascular endurance as there is more oxygen being delivered due to more blood
* bad thing is blood vicosity increases
Beta Blockers
Beta blockers are a medication that must be prescribed by medical professionals
Beta blockers function to reduce the effects of adrenaline on the body; this can improve fine motor control and therefore the precision of movements
* reduces blood pressure and heart rate
Advantages & Disadvantages for the Performer of taking PEDs
Advantages:
* Increased chances of success in a chosen sport, allowing a performer to maintain an income and keep sponsorship deals
* Elite and professional athletes may have increased chances of fame and wealth
* Performers may feel that many opponents are also using PEDs, so see it as a way to level the playing field
Disadvantages:
* There are many associated health risks and side effects
* Taking prohibited substances is cheating and is seen as immoral
* There are negative consequences to reputation, resulting in performers being dropped by sponsors
* Performers can be fined or even banned from their sport
Spectator Behaviour
Positive effects of spectator behaviour
* Spectators help create an atmosphere at sporting events; cheering, chanting and applauding can all encourage a team and performers may respond by raising their performance level
* When playing home events, the home team or player receives much more support than the opposition; this is called a home-field advantage
Negative effects of spectator behaviour
* There is increased pressure on players to perform; this can negatively affect the performance of players even when crowd noise is positive
* Negative chants, booing and sneering can be distracting to players
* Younger performers may not enjoy, or be used to, crowd behaviour and this can affect participation numbers
* Large crowds can create a negative atmosphere through crowd trouble, or hooliganism; this has been a problem at some football matches
* When crowds become too large or volatile for the sporting arena it can become unsafe
Hooliganism
Violent or damaging behaviour by individuals or groups of people
Reasons for hooliganism include:
* Rivalry between spectators of opposing teams
* A sense of hype and excitement around a sport and match outcomes
* Spectators being fuelled by alcohol or drugs which can affect behaviour
* Gang culture can arise when spectators want to protect and defend their team or local area from opposition spectators
* Frustration about decisions made by match officials
* Most hooliganism occurs among male spectators and it is thought that this could be a display of masculinity from these spectators
Combatting it:
Alcohol restrictions are put in place within sports grounds
There is also better control over the number of tickets that can be sold
Stadia are designed to segregate fans around and within the grounds
This can be costly to police
Improved security, such as CCTV, is required
Seating that is purposefully left empty will impact ticket sales and profit
Spectators can be given banning orders
This means that they are prevented from attending events where known hooliganism behaviour has occurred in the past
There may also be travel restrictions for known hooligans
