1. CHAPTER 10 SOCIAL CLASS: Do Money and Power Matter in Sports?
SPORTS IN SOCIETY: SOCIOLOGICAL ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES
CHAPTER 10
SOCIAL CLASS:
Do Money and Power Matter in Sports?
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

2. Social Class
Social class refers to categories of people who share a similar economic position in society based on a combination of their:
income
wealth
education
occupation
social connections.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

3. Social Stratification
Social stratification refers to structured forms of economic inequalities that are part of the organisation of everyday life; these inequalities influence life chances.
Life chances (i.e., opportunities to achieve economic success and gain economic power) vary from one social class to another in the social stratification system.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

4. Sports and Economic Inequality
The meaning, organisation and purpose of sports are heavily influenced by money and economic power.
In New Zealand and Australia this money and economic power come from private and government sources.
Class relations in most societies are based on an ideology in which economic success is equated with individual ability, worth and character.
Competitive power and performance sports reaffirm this ideology.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

5. Class Relations and Power in Sports
The most powerful people in sports are white men who control the resources of major organisations that sponsor sports or present them in the media.
The most visible sports around the world revolve around the meanings and orientations valued by people with economic resources and power.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

6. The ‘Power People’ in Sports
People with power in and over sports always show that:
power is grounded in organisations and rests in the hands of the people who control those organisations
athletes have little or no power in sports.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

7. Class Relations and Cultural Ideology
Sports are valuable cultural vehicles for developing ‘ideological outposts’ in the minds of people around the world.
This is why transnational corporations spend billions of dollars to be primary providers of popular pleasure and entertainment.
Then corporate spokespersons use sports to deliver other messages about what should be important in people’s lives (commercials are just one part of this).
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

8. Social Class and Sports Participation
Social class and class relations influence who plays, watches and consumes sports.
Generally, the higher the social class, the greater the involvement and influence.
Sports participation occurs in the context of class-related lifestyles.
Social class also intersects with gender and age to influence sports participation patterns.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

9. Class Relations and Gender Relations
Girls and women in low-income households often face the greatest constraints to sports participation.
Boys and girls from higher income families seldom face constraints that interfere with participation in after school and summer programs, camps and leagues.
Gender-related factors have a greater impact on sports participation patterns in lower income households.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

10. Class and Gender in Men’s Lives
Ideas about sports and masculinity vary by social class.
Boys from lower income backgrounds often see sports participation as a means of obtaining ‘respect’.
Early, exclusive commitments to sports often are more likely among boys from lower income backgrounds.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

11. Social Class, Gender and Race/Ethnicity
Research shows that for some low-income, minority men, boxing is an alternative to the violence of the streets.
Boxing is a refuge from the violence, hopelessness, and indignity created by racism and poverty.
Many of these men know they would not be boxers if other opportunities had existed for them.
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© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

12. Class Relations in Action
Cuts in publicly funded sport programs disproportionately affect people with few economic resources (eg., school programs).
Tickets to pro sports events are expensive for many people today.
Ticket prices increase after new facilities are constructed.
But ticket costs in Australia and New Zealand are more affordable than in many other countries.
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© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

13. Economic and Career Opportunities in Sports
Social mobility refers to changes in wealth, education and occupation over a person’s lifetime, or from one generation to the next. Do sports offer social mobility?
Career opportunities are limited and, for athletes, they are short-term.
The odds of making big money as an athlete are so low that nobody should bet on them!
Opportunities for women are growing but they remain limited.
Opportunities for minority peoples are growing but remain limited.
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© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

14. Career Opportunities for Women
Careers as pro athletes for women have existed primarily in tennis and golf.
Other pro sports have been formed recently (eg basketball and netball), but they generate little revenue, and careers are insecure.
Other job opportunities in sports remain limited by gender ideology.
The characteristics associated with being a women are not seen as fitting many job qualifications in sports.
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© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

15. Career Opportunities for Indigenous People and Ethnic Minorities
Many sports remain mostly white – eg motor sports, tennis and golf.
In high-profile Australian sports Indigenous players are found mostly in body contact sports – AFL, NRL, boxing.
In New Zealand, Maori and Islander players are now common in elite rugby.
Indigenous and ethnic minority peoples often seek sporting careers, despite very high odds against success, as a way out of poverty.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

16. Occupational Careers Among Former Athletes
Former athletes might experience career benefits from playing sports if:
they learn interpersonal skills that carry over to jobs
people with power and influence define them as good job prospects because they were athletes
they can use their sports reputations to create the publicity needed to achieve career success
they are well-connected with others who can provide opportunities or advocate their interests.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

17. Playing Sports and Occupational Success
Research suggests that playing sports may be related to career success when it:
enables people to complete academic degrees and gain knowledge about the world
increases support from significant others
leads to connections outside of sports
provides material resources
expands non-sport identities and abilities
does not lead to serious injuries.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

18. Major Challenges Faced By Retiring Athletes
Reconstructing identities in terms of activities, abilities and relationships unrelated to sports participation.
Renegotiating relationships with others so as to gain feedback and support for new identities.
Do sports organisations have the responsibility to facilitate these processes?
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd