Transcript Runners design template

Lesson 1:
Sports as a Social Institution
SOCII.3.1 Describe the evolution of sports in society.
SOCII.3.2 Identify and assess current issues in sports.
Essential Questions:
How does the institution of sports meet basic social needs?
How does sports change over time?
Learning Target:
To be able to explain what makes a sport a sport, how
competition varies by types, and the characteristics that make
sports a social institution. Using this knowledge, you will be able
to identify these characteristics in contemporary sports and
explain how they are evident.
The
Sociology
of Sports
Entrance Ticket: Writing Prompt
• Get out a sheet of paper and split it in half
(use ½ for this, the other ½ for the exit ticket)
• Answer these questions in a full paragraph:
– What is your favorite sport? Why?
– Are you a participant or a spectator of this sport?
– When you participate or watch this sport, what do
you feel as an individual?
– What do you feel as a part of the team/crowd?
• Keep until we have discussed, then turn in.
Sport
A set of competitive activities in which
winners and losers are determined by
physical performance within a set of
established rules.
•Sociologists say it to be considered a
sport it must have:
competition, physical skill, rules
Competition
The act of striving with another or others
to attain a goal.
THREE TYPES OF COMPETITION:
Direct competition
Indirect competition
Against a standard competition
Direct Competition
• Individual vs. individual
• Team vs. team
Examples: football, soccer, tennis,
swimming
Indirect Competition
• Athletes take turns participating in the
same skill/event
• Can be team or individual
Examples: bowling, ski jumping, discus,
high jump,javelin, etc.
Against a Standard
Competition
• Individual Athlete or teams compete
against each other indirectly
• Performance is based on a pre-set
standard, i.e. “perfect 10”
Examples: gymnastics, diving, ice skating
History of Sports…
• Sports have existed for thousands
of years
– Games like lacrosse, field hockey,
rugby, soccer, etc. were used as
training for hunting or warfare
– Even sports such as swimming and
fishing developed out of essential
tasks
The History of Sports…
• Religious Nature of Sports
-Sports were a significant part of
religious life
-Often the platform for honor gods
(Olympics, tournaments, etc.)
-Part of the honoring of warriors
in
funeral rites
The History of Sports…
• Sports throughout history have
reflected the social norms of the time
– Ancient Greece: bull leaping, wrestling,
foot and chariot races
The History of Sports…
• Ancient Rome: gladiators,
foot and chariot races
• Athletes were celebrities
• They would be given free
money, pensions, and be
well taken care of
meals,
The History of Sport…
• During the Middle Ages, sports like
jousting, sword fighting, etc. were
used as a way to keep nobility
“busy” between wars
• Until the mid-1800s,
sport is reserved for
the upper-class
History of Sports…
• Now popular (upper and middle class)
games like England’s cricket develop
out of games played by the poor of
society and children
History of Sports…
• American baseball, football, and
basketball develop from the mid1800s
– a split develops between professionals
and amateurs
– Pros become popular
– College teams develops
History of Sports…
• Today, sports is a large part of our
society and culture (a social phenomena)
--Professional Sports
• Major Leagues (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS)
• Minor Leagues (ECHL, MLB farm teams, etc.)
--Collegiate Sports (NCAA, BCS)
--School and Public Children’s Sports
• Little League, Community Rec Leagues, etc.
Sports as an Institution
• Modern society sees SIX distinctive
characteristics that make sports a social
institution (like the family, religion,
education, the media, and politics)
1. Secularization
2. Equality
3. Rationalization
4. Specialization
5. Bureaucratization
6. Quantification
Secularization
• The moving of sports from the realm of the
sacred (religious) to the profane (nonreligious).
• Sports is now its OWN institution, thus not
directly connected to religion.
• It can, however, retain some religious nature…
Equality
• The moving of participation in sports from
ascribed status to achieved status.
• While some sports are still based on social
class, most are based on the concept of
eligibility—athletes play because they have
earned right, not because of their
income/status.
• The rules of play are consistent for all (for the
most part ).
Specialization
• Sports in modern society are greatly refined.
• Within individual sports, specific roles are
highly specialized.
• THE DIRECT RESULT OF SOCIAL EMPHASIS
ON ACHIEVEMENT!
• Examples: team sport positions, individual
sport specialties
Rationalization
• Sports in modern society are calculated,
measured, and control behavior.
• It has lead to rules becoming official and
standardized, and the development of leagues.
• This creates a consistency and allows for
cultural transmission of sports—globalization.
Bureaucratization
• Like rationalization (the establishment of
rules, leagues, consistency), it ORGANIZES
these elements.
• Again, provides consistency and
accountability.
Quantification
• The setting of measurement for competition.
• To ensure “fair play” and uniformity.
• Examples:
Timers
Measurements
Weights
Exit Ticket
• Get out the “Characteristics in Current
Events” homework (green ½ sheet) and
answer questions 1 and 2.
• If time, you may get out your device and look
for an article to complete the rest for
HOMEWORK—remember, a printed copy of
the article must be attached