AS MOD 2
SOCIO-CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL EFFECTS ON
PARTICIPATION IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND THEIR
INFLUENCE ON PERFORMANCE
THE CHANGING NATURE OF BRITISH SOCIETY
19th CENTURY BRITAIN
The Changing Nature of British Society
Introduction:
Sport is an INTEGRAL part of society
British Society has undergone 3 phases
1.
2.
3.
Pre-industrial society
Industrialisation
Post Industrial/Advanced Technological Society
Developments in sport tend to MIRROR developments in society
For example
As society became CIVILISED so did sporting recreations of
the time as reflected in the development of RULES, SKILLS and
ETIQUETTE for many games
What does Industrialisation mean?
Process in 18th and 19th C when Britain moved from
predominantly AGRICULTURAL base to an ECONOMY
dominated by MANUFACTURING
What does the CIVILISING OF SOCIETY mean?
The development of HUMAN MANNERS, e.g
the practicing of SELF RESTRAINT in social
situations. CODES of BEHAVIOUR and
ETIQUETTE became the norm. Sports
became LESS VIOLENT in nature
The birth of MODERN SPORT began in BRITAIN, the 1st INDUSTRIALISED country in the WORLD
Modern sport developed in an atmosphere where social and economic conditions occurred, these were:
1.) Industrialisation
2.) Effective communications
3.) URBANISATION (mass of population changes lifestyle from living in villages/rural areas
to living in towns/cities)
4.) Affluent society
5.) Population with sufficient leisure time and surplus disposable income
PRE-INDUSTRIAL BRITAIN (pre 1750)
- Majority of population lived in RURAL areas working on the land
- UPPER CLASSES
Were wealthy landowners holding political power
- WORKING CLASSES
Had little free time and their lives were harsh
Strong sense of community
Lack of free time = recreations only took place occasionally and mostly on
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS and FESTIVALS
As participation was not regular, many activities DID NOT develop
STRUCTURALLY but retained their TRADITIONAL nature over 100’s of
years = POPULAR RECREATION (eg MOB FOOTBALL)
Peasants were UNEDUCATED (compulsory schooling >1870), whereas
Upper Classes were educated in elite PUBLIC SCHOOLS
In groups
What were the characteristics of POPULAR RECREATION (eg MOB FOOTBALL)?
- occasional due to free time
- only a few simple unwritten rules
- activity being PARTICIPATION-BASED rather than SPECTATOR-BASED
- physical force rather than skill
- many injuries/violent
- lower class involvement
- LOCAL rather than REGIONAL or NATIONAL events
- limited STRUCTURE , EQUIPMENT and FACILITIES
19th CENTURY BRITAIN
When Queen Victoria was on the throne
This era saw major transition in society
Immense contrasts between RICH and POOR
Nation was PROSPEROUS and STABLE
This era coincided with the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
The Industrial Revolution (1750 – 1850):
Nation underwent URBANISATION
Cramped living and working conditions in towns
Move from AGRICULTURE and COTTAGE (craft
workshops) industries to FACTORIES
Britain seen as WORKSHOP OF THE WORLD
Industrial Revolution c’ntd
Britain was 1st European Country to undergo Industrial Revolution
By middle of 19th C, Britain was WORLD’S LEADING INDUSTRIAL POWER
By 1901: only 10% of its labour force worked in agriculture
¾ of population lived in TOWNS/CITIES
population nearly TREBLED
In pairs: How would this have affected the
working week, recreation, environment?
- Hours being worked (12 hrs/day)
- Women and children working (coal industries)
- Working week (6 days)
- Expectations to attend church on Sun
- Little time for rest and leisure (no MOB FOOTBALL)
- Restricted recreational opportunities/facilities
- Urban squalor (poor health)
- Spoiled landscapes
Industrial Revolution c’ntd
Gradually improvements were made:
- Trade Unions helped
- ½ day Saturdays
- Early closing for shop workers on Wed
- Bank Holiday’s (provision of NATIONALLY recognised
LEISURE TIME)
- Wages increased giving working classes DISPOSABLE income
In pairs: How were these new working conditions positive for Sport and Recreation?
- participation in more activities
- Spectator sports and facilities began to develop
- Increased disposable income meant more money to spend on leisure
- On Bank Holidays, people began taking excursions to the country/seaside by train/cycling/foot
- Town and City parks were used for recreational purposes
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN 19th CENTURY BRITAIN
- In 19th C scientific and industrial invention thrived
- Edison invented electric light bulb and improved telegraph, telephone and motion picture projector
In Pairs: How did technological advances affect sport and recreation?
- Sports were being invented e.g rugby, football, lawn tennis, basketball and volleyball
- Sports equipment was being invented e.g lawn tennis kits, improvement in golf equipment
(priced it out of working classes)
- Steam press enabled cheaper production of newspapers (interest in sport bloomed)
- Invention of bicycle - cheaper transport
- accepted leisure pursuit for ladies
- More practical clothing designed
TRANSPORT IN 19th CENTURY BRITAIN
-Transport began with rivers (many early towns built next to waterways)
- Aquatic activities (eg rowing, swimming) began as functional activities
- Roads accommodated horse and carting and later cycling
- Railway enabled goods, people and ideas to be transported nationally/internationally
In pairs: How did transportation advances affect the development of sport and recreation?
- Railway encouraged popularity of excursions
- Work holidays established seaside resorts, re-creating community spirit of pre-industrialisation
(eg Blackpool)
- OAA (eg rambling, fishing, cycling, mountaineering) boosted by rail access to isolated areas
- Football fixtures could happen further afield (eg home and away tradition)
RATIONAL RECREATION IN 19th CENTURY BRITAIN
- POPULAR RECREATIONS unable to survive in new CIVILISED ENVIRONMENT
- Cramped living conditions = lack of SPACE (mob football)
- Middle/Upper classes required DISCIPLINED/PRODUCTIVE workers (suppress excessive behaviour)
- Preventing recreations eg mob games and cock fighting
- Increase in SOCIAL REFORM (eg working conditions improved, recreational facilities such as parks
and baths provided
What are the characteristics of
Rational Recreation?
- Regular participation
- Complex written rules
- Highly structured in nature
- Being spectator-based as well as participation-based
- The need to use refined skills instead of force
- Being a middle to upper class development
- Being regionally and nationally based
- The use of sophisticated equipment and facilities
How did SOCIAL REFORM affect sport and recreation?
- Provision of parks to - improve health of population
- discourage crime
- attract people away from alcohol
- encourage workers to participate in rational and rule governed behaviour
- Working men’s clubs/institutes/Friendly societies/libraries established to further education
of working classes
THE CHURCH IN 19th CENTURY BRITAIN
- As sports were becoming RATIONALISED, church could support their CIVILISED and MORAL qualities
- Youth movements encouraged eg Boy’s Brigade, Scouts and Sunday School Teams (militaristic)
- Church halls for recreation
- MUSCULAR CHRISTIANITY (Charles Kingsley) believed in combination of CHRISTIAN and
CHIVALRIC ideals of manliness (healthy bodies healthy minds to serve God)
- YMCA aimed to develop high Christian standards through group activities and improve spiritual, social
and recreational life of young people (using sport to achieve its aim)
MIDDLE CLASS IN 19th CENTURY BRITAIN
- Middle class emerged as a result of the INDUSTRIAL revolution (below aristocracy, but above workers
- Tried to disassociate themselves form working class
- Were religious/moralising and wanted to formulate activities of their own (that would benefit society)
- Believed rational recreations could stabilise and transform society
- Cricket, football and rugby were organised into National competitions eg FA cup
- Invented LAWN TENNIS as a substitute for REAL TENNIS
- Became ADMINISTRATORS of sport due to their organisational skills (est Clubs and Governing
Bodies)
- With their accumulated wealth they bought land and built facilities (eg Wimbledon Lawn Tennis and
Croquet Club)
19th CENTURY MALE AND FEMALE ROLES
- In Industrial era FEMALE role was in PRIVATE sphere and MALE role in PUBLIC sphere (business,
commerce, politics)
- Middle class women expected to work for service of others eg visiting the sick and needy. Were
encouraged to demand more physical forms of recreation.
- GIRL’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS copied BOY’s schools in academic and sporting terms
- Hockey, netball and tennis were acceptable due to dress codes, rules, and could be played in privacy of
school, club or garden
- Working class women had least sporting/recreation opportunities (domestic role, no free time)
- Working class women were poor, little political power and limited education
AMATEURISM
Based on ideal that participation in sport is for the LOVE of it rather than
MONETARY GAIN
PROFESSIONAL SPORT
A sporting activity that is engaged in for FINANCIAL Gain or as a
means of LIVELIHOOD
Q.) Give an example of an EARLY professional sportsman? What are the similarities between a
professional footballer today