4-1 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley SPORTS IN SOCIETY: ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES IN AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND CHAPTER 4 SPORTS AND SOCIALISATION: Who Plays and What Happens to Them?

4-2 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Socialisation: Main Definition Socialisation: Is an active process of learning and social development. Occurs as we interact with others. Involves the formation of ideas about who we are and what is important in our lives.

4-3 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Socialisation: A Functionalist Approach Based on an internationalisation model that focuses on: The characteristics of those being socialised. The people and institutions believed to do the socialising. The specific outcomes of socialisation, i.e., the types of learning that occurs.

4-4 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Socialisation: A Conflict Approach Based on an internalisation model that focuses on: How sports and sport participation divides people in the working class. How people with few resources are denied opportunities to play sports. The lack of rights among sports competitors. How money and power are used to control sports and exploit others to maintain the status quo.

4-5 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Socialisation: Interactionist Models Utilise qualitative more often than quantitative research methods. Goal is to obtain detailed descriptions of sport experiences and cultures. Seek information on how people make decisions about sports in their lives. Connect meanings given to sports and sport experiences with the larger social and cultural context.

4-6 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley BECOMING INVOLVED & STAYING INVOLVED IN SPORTS Functionalist research indicates that sport participation is related to: People’s abilities & characteristics. The influence of significant others. The availability of opportunities to play and to experience success in sports.

4-7 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley BECOMING INVOLVED & STAYING INVOLVED IN SPORTS Interactionist research indicates that sport participation is related to: Ongoing processes in people’s lives. Decision making processes in which decisions: –Change as social circumstances change. –Are not made once and for all time.

4-8 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Stevenson’s Findings (1999) Becoming an elite competitor involves : The process of introduction and involvement. The process of developing commitment.

4-9 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Light & Nash, 2006 Findings Becoming a surf lifesaver involves: Training – beach sprinting, paddling, flag races, watching specialist videos. Patrolling and competition with patrolling understood to be the ‘core’. Fund raising activities. Incidental learning.

4-10 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Wright & Burrow’s Findings (2006) Clear and particular differences between government schools and private schools: Contrasting ideas about the ways that sport participation was related to other interests and goals in their lives. Their desires to develop and display competence so they could gain recognition and respect from others. Private Schools emphasize and support participation and incorporate sport as a mandatory element of the extra curricular program. Memories of past experiences with physical activities and sports. Sport-related cultural images and messages that they had in their minds.

4-11 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Functionalist and Conflict Theory: Research on Dropping Out of Sports People don’t drop out forever, nor do they cut all ties with sports. Dropping out is tied to other changes and transitions in a person’s life. Dropping out is not related only to bad experiences. Dropping out may cause problems among those who –Have identities grounded totally in sports. –Lack social & material resources.

4-12 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Coakley’s Findings (1992) Burnout among elite adolescent competitors was most likely when: High performance sports were organised so that competitors had little control over their lives. Sport involvement was perceived to interfere with accomplishing important developmental tasks.

4-13 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Wheeler’s Findings (1999) When competitive sport careers ended, the main challenges faced by competitors with disabilities were: Reinvesting time and energy into other spheres of life. Reconnecting with family members and friends. Going back to school and getting on with occupational careers.

4-14 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Summary: Changing or Ending Competitive Sport Participation Changes in participation are grounded in decision-making processes tied to people’s lives, life courses, and social worlds. Identity issues and developmental issues are important. Problems are most likely when sport participation has constricted a person’s life.

4-15 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Being Involved in Sports: What Happens? In some cultures people believe that sports automatically build positive traits and relationships among all participants.

4-16 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Factors Often Overlooked in Research on Character Building in Sports 1.Different sports offer different experiences. 2.Selection processes in organised sports favour some characteristics over others. 3.Different people define sport experiences in different ways. 4.Meanings given to sport experiences often change over time. 5.Social relationships mediate sports experiences. 6.Many activities other than sports can provide character- building experiences.

4-17 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sport Participation Is Most Likely to Produce Positive Effects When (I) 1.New non-sport identities are formed. 2.Knowledge is gained about the world beyond sports. 3.Experiences go beyond sports. 4.New relationships are formed that go beyond sports. (continued)

4-18 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sport Participation Is Most Likely to Produce Positive Effects When (II) 5.Lessons learned in sports are applied to situations outside of sports. 6.Participants are seen by others as total human beings, not just competitors. 7.General competence and responsibility are learned.

4-19 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley General Summary: If playing sports constricts or limits a person’s life, expect negative socialisation effects. If playing sports expands or diversifies a person’s life, expect positive socialisation effects.

4-20 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Power & Performance Versus Pleasure & Participation Sports Pleasure/Participation 1.Emphasis on connections between people 2.Ethic of expression, enjoyment, health 3.Body = source of pleasure 4.Inclusion & accom- modation of differences 5.Democratic structures 6.Compete with others Power/Performance 1.Use power to push limits in pursuit of victories 2.Excellence proved through winning 3.Body = tool and weapon 4.Competence-based inclusion/exclusion 5.Hierarchical structures 6.Opponents = enemies

4-21 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Studies of Sport Experiences The voices of sport participants indicate that: People define and give meaning to their sport experiences in connection with their social relationships. Meanings given to sport experiences are grounded in cultural definitions about gender, race & ethnicity, social class, sexuality, and other characteristics defined as socially important.

4-22 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Fine’s Findings (1987) The moral socialisation that occurs in little league baseball: Depends on how the boys “hear” and apply the moral messages from adults. Emphasizes masculinity as involving toughness and dominance.

4-23 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Theberge’s Findings (2000) The locker rooms of women’s ice hockey teams are key places in which: Women bond with each other and form a sense of community. The players use relationships with each other to develop meanings for their sport participation and apply those meanings to their lives.

4-24 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Symons’ Findings (2002) Gay sports participants are especially cautious about coming out in sports Combining a gay identity with a sports identity is often a challenging process. Individual sports and “cosmopolitan” sports are more gay- friendly than team sports and “macho” sports. Being out in sport is liberating, but it can also be dangerous. Being out is easier when friends, teammates, and organisations provide active support.

4-25 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Studies of the Social Worlds of Sports Social world refers to a way of life and an associated mindset that revolves around a particular sport. Sport experiences and the actions of people in sports can be understood only when placed in the context of the social world in which they occur.

4-26 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Hughson’s Findings (1992) Croatia in Sydney Young men of the BBB became deeply engulfed in their supporter identities. Social world of soccer support became the context in which the young men identified themselves, set goals, and viewed the rest of the world. No evidence to suggest that the BBB applied these lessons to other aspects of their lives.

4-27 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Klein’s Findings (1993) The lives of bodybuilders revolve around issues of gender and sexuality Men and women learn to project images of power while experiencing doubts about their identities and self- worth. The social world of bodybuilding fosters a desperate need for attention and approval. Ideas about masculinity are so narrow that male bodybuilders develop homophobic attitudes and self- presentations based on caricatured ideas about manliness.

4-28 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Crosset’s Findings (1995) The lives of women competitors in the LPGA were influenced by gender relations in U.S. culture The women developed an “ethic of prowess” – a mindset highlighting a commitment to physical competence as a basis for evaluating self and others on the tour. This ethic existed to neutralise the negative effects of traditional ideas about femininity. Conformity to the ethic helped the women legitimise their roles as professional competitors.

4-29 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Studies of Socialisation As a Community & Cultural Process Sports are sites for struggling over how we think and what we do. Sports are sites where people create and learn “stories” they can use to make sense of the world. Sports consist of vocabularies and images that influence ideology.

4-30 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Socialisation and the Formation of Ideology Hegemony is the process of forming agreement about particular ways of viewing and making sense of the world. Sports are important sites for hegemonic processes because they provide pleasurable experiences to so many people. Corporate sponsors use sports to establish “ideological outposts” in people’s heads.

4-31 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sport, Socialisation, & Ideology Research shows that none of us live outside the influence of ideology. The stories that emerge in connection with sports and sport experiences generally reproduce dominant forms of ideology, but they also can challenge and even transform dominant ideology.

4-32 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley What Socialisation Research Doesn’t Tell Us How socialisation processes operate in the lives of people from various ethnic groups & social classes. The dynamics of sport participation careers among young children. How people make participation decisions about different types of sports.

4-33 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley The Most Informative Research on What Happens in Sports Deals with: The everyday experiences of people who play sports. The social worlds created around sports. Community and cultural processes that are related to the ideological messages associated with sports in society.