1-1 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley SPORTS IN SOCIETY: ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND CHAPTER 1 THE SOCIOLOGY OF SPORT: What Is It and Why Study It?

1-2 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sports are Social Phenomena Sports are related to the social and cultural contexts in which we live. Sports provide stories & images used to explain & evaluate these contexts. Sports provide a window into culture and society.

1-3 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sociology is a tool for studying sports in society Sociology provides useful: –Concepts –Theories –Research methods These tools enable us to “see” behaviour as it connected with history, politics, economics, and social life.

1-4 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley CULTURE Consists of the “ways of life” people create in a group or society. These ways of life are created and changed as people interact with each other, as they come to terms with, and even struggle over how to: –Do things and organise their lives –Relate to each other –Make sense out of their experiences

1-5 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sports and Culture Sports, as parts of Culture, have forms and meanings that vary from place to place and through history.

1-6 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley SOCIETY A collection of people Living in a defined geographical territory. United through –a political system and, –a shared sense of self-identification that distinguishes them from other people.

1-7 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sports and Society Sports, as parts of society, are social constructions that are given form and meaning by people as they interact with each other.

1-8 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley The Sociology of Sport A subdiscipline of sociology that studies sports as part of social and cultural life. Focuses primarily on “organised, competitive sports”. Helps us ask critical questions about sports in society.

1-9 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sociology vs. Psychology Psychologists study behaviour in terms of attributes & processes that exist inside individuals. Sociologists study behaviour in terms of the social conditions and cultural contexts in which people live their lives.

1-10 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Critical thinking about sports helps us: Identify & understand social problems and social issues associated with sports. Look beyond scores to see sports as social phenomena. Make informed choices about sport participation and the place of sports in our lives. Transform sports in progressive ways.

1-11 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sociology may lead to controversial recommendations Sociological research may produce findings that suggest changes in the organisation of sports and the organisation of social life. Those who benefit from the status quo may be threatened by these research findings.

1-12 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Why study sports as social phenomena? Sports activities and images are part of people’s lives. Sports are connected with ideologies in society –i.e., the “viewpoints” that underlie people’s feelings, thoughts, and actions. Sports are connected with major spheres of social life such as: –family, economy, media, politics, education, & religion.

1-13 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Ideologies The sets of interrelated ideas that people use To give meaning to the world. To make sense of the world. To identify what is important, right, and natural in that world.

1-14 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley The characteristics of Ideologies are: They are never established “once and for all time”. They emerge as people struggle over the meaning and organisation of social life. They are complex and sometimes inconsistent. They change as power relationships change in society.

1-15 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley “Dominant Ideology” Represents the perspectives and ideas favoured by people who have power and influence in society. Dominant ideologies serve the interests of people with power and influence.

1-16 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Gender Ideology refers to A set of interrelated ideas about masculinity, femininity, and relationships between men and women. Dominant Gender ldeology consists of prevailing notions of “common sense” about maleness and femaleness in a group or society.

1-17 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Racial Ideology refers to A set of interrelated ideas that people use to give meaning to skin colour and to evaluate people in terms of racial classifications. Dominant Racial Ideology consists of prevailing ideas about the meanings of skin colour and the characteristics of people classified in various racial categories.

1-18 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Why study sports as social phenomena? Sports are connected with major spheres of social life: –Family –Economy –Media –Politics –Education –Religion

1-19 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Major Professional Organisations in the Sociology of Sport : The International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA) The North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Sociological Association of Aotearoa and New Zealand (SAANZ)

1-20 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Disagreements in the Sociology of Sport Scholars in the field see themselves as –Sport sociologists concerned with sport science issues –Sociologists concerned with social and cultural issues Scholars may see themselves as –professional experts (interested in consulting and the application of knowledge to improve sports) –critical sociologists (interested in social & cultural transformation), or –knowledge builders (interested in using research to accumulate knowledge about social life)

1-21 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sport is defined by some scholars as activities that are: Physical Competitive Institutionalised Motivated by a combination of internal & external rewards.

1-22 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Institutionalisation occurs when: Rules become standardised. Official agencies enforce rules. Organisational & technical aspects of the activity become important. Learning game skills becomes formalised.

1-23 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Play vs. Dramatic Spectacle Play involves expressive activity done for its own sake; it is often spontaneous and guided by informal, emergent norms. Dramatic Spectacle involves performances to entertain an audience for the purpose of obtaining rewards.

1-24 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley An alternative approach to defining sports: Determine what activities are identified as sports in a society. Determine whose sports count the most when it comes to obtaining support and resources.

1-25 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Sports in Society by Coakley Sports are contested activities This means that there are struggles over: The meaning, purpose, & organisation of sports. Who will participate and the conditions under which sport participation occurs. How sports will be sponsored, and what the reasons for sponsorship will be.