ISSUES ON PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS Christian Janus M. Layague BPED 3-B Contemporary Issues in PE and Sports Mr. Joseph O. Basilisco Cebu Normal University 2021 Term Paper Outline Topic: Issues in Physical Education and Sports I. General Introduction for the Topic II. Articles Regarding Issues in Physical Education and Sports II.A. UP-CHK: P.E. Essential in School Curriculum II.B. Power and Play: Gender and Sexuality Issues in Sport and Physical Activity. II.C. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sports and Exercise II.D. Is E-Sport a ‘Real’ Sport? Reflections on the Spread of Virtual Competitions II.E. A Question of Colour: Systemic Racism in Sports and Exercise Medicine III. References I. Introduction Physical Education is defined as an educational process that uses physical activity as a means to help people acquire skills, fitness, knowledge, and attitudes that contribute to their optimal development and well-being. It is also known as PE, Phys Ed., gym class, and in some Commonwealth countries as physical training or PT. Under the K to12 Program, fitness and movement education content is the core of the PE Curriculum. It includes value, knowledge, skills and experiences in physical activity participation in order to achieve and maintain health-related fitness as well as optimize health. Also, PE curriculum prioritizes standards such as habitual physical activity participation to achieve and maintain health-enhancing levels of fitness, competence in movement and motor skills requisite to various physical activity performances, valuing physical activities for enjoyment, challenge, social interaction and career opportunities and lastly, understanding various movement concepts, principles, strategies and tactics as they apply to the learning of physical activity. However, we still cannot prevent that there will always be issues lurking around. Even though a lot of good things are being stated above regarding PE, it is still not an exception when it comes to issues. Issues about racism, gender and sexual orientation, integration of PE as a school subject, drug abuse and a lot, lot more are observable in PE and Sports. That is why in addressing these issues, the goals of PE educators are to let all the students have access to physical education and sport, regardless of: age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, income, educational level, geographic location and ability. In this paper, some articles regarding various issues about PE and Sports will be explained. II. Articles Regarding Issues in Physical Education and Sports II.A UP-CHK: P.E. Essential in School Curriculum The first article which is a news article, tackled about the issue of the integrity of P.E. as a school subject. As we all know, Physical education is considered to be a minor subject in school. Being known as a minor compared to others, the issue on this article emerged. As the pandemic started, it’s been hard for schools to have classes especially in the Philippines. Online classes are more difficult than what we all thought. In this article, it talked how one of the senators in our country, Senator Win Gatchalian, overlooked and underestimated PE as a subject. In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, the senator stated, “Bawasan muna natin ang subjects na ituturo, for example, tanggalin na muna natin ang PE o Home Economics. Ituro natin ang pinakamahalaga, Math, Science, English at Reading,”. Of course, his statement had caught the attention of a lot of people especially those people whose profession are in line with Physical Education and Home Economics. In my opinion, I understand why Senator Gatchalian had said those statement. Maybe it’s because of the pandemic wherein physical distancing are prohibited. And because Physical Education is about physical activities which need huge space, thus performing outside the students’ homes, maybe Senator Gatchalian thought that it just might endangered the health of the students. But recalling to his statement over and over again, I realized that it’s not just because of physical distancing or whatsoever. I realized that it’s really an issue of the integrity of PE as a school subject. We were so used to the thought that because PE is just a minor subject, it is then not important compared to those major ones such as Science, Math, and English. What Senator Gatchalian did was discriminating and underestimating the potential of Physical Education in the educational system. On issues like this, the government should really take an action especially the Department of Education (DepEd), an executive department of the Philippine government. As what we all know, the roles of DepEd are ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and improving the quality of basic education. Thankfully, Dr. Leonor Briones, Secretary of the Department of Education, as well as Senator Pia Cayetano, supported the integration of PE in learning under the new normal. To be honest, it was just really so frustrating and sad at the same time that officials like Senator Gatchalian are seeing PE as a low priority subject. The University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Human Kinetics (UP-CHK) even replied the statement of Senator Gatchalian and shared the multi-faceted educational value of Physical Education (PE), adding the subject should not be deleted from the school curriculum. As what I have learned from this news article, issues like this should be taken immediate action. It’s not just because of being a future PE educator. I’m not biased. I just realized the great importance of Physical Education in the educational system. UPCHK even stated that PE also develops life skills toward self-management and optimal social functioning, self-empowering the individual. So even without mentioning the legal basis for the inclusion of PE as a course in all levels of education, nor the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s description of sport and physical education as a fundamental right for all, PE must always be included in the critical number of courses to be offered in education, with or without ECQ [enhanced community quarantine], MECQ [Modified ECQ] or GCQ [general community quarantine]. II.B Power and Play: Gender and Sexuality Issues in Sport and Physical Activity Issues regarding women in sports are still prevalent even up to these times. This exploration of gender and sexuality issues in sport identifies barriers to female participation that still remain despite the widely legislated equality of access to sport and physical activity. Despite the fact that women make up 40% of athletes, they only receive 4% of total sports media coverage in print and television as of 2020. Despite variations during major events such as the Olympics or the World Cup, this remains the case. Also, male athletes receive $179 million more in athletic scholarships each year than female players, according to the Women's Sports Foundation. Furthermore, female athletes receive only 24 percent of collegiate athletic operational costs, 16 percent of recruitment budgets, and 33 percent of scholarship budgets. There may be various reasons why issues like this happen. But the root or the main reason is what I’m still looking for. Women are now not new when it comes to sports and physical activity. But issues about gender equality are still brought a lot. Plus, in sport and recreational settings, various forms of sexual harassment, homophobia, and violence faced by girls and women offer substantial impediments to full female involvement as well as women's potential to build and define sport in woman-centered terms. The government should also take an action in these types of issues. These issues are linked to human rights, thus making it a serious and big one. They should give importance and attention to female athletes just how they give importance and attention to the males. The bottom line is that we, men and women, need to do more to promote gender equality. Just as we do for boys and men, we must pave the road for the next generation of girls and women. In sports, the workplace, and life, there should be no disparities. In every way, all athletes should be viewed and treated as equals. Gender should not be a factor that defines us or distinguishes us from our peers in sports. II.C Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sports and Exercise Sports and Exercise are activities that are very essential for our physical health and well-being. Before, we tend to do these kinds of activities a lot. But as the pandemic started, everything changed drastically. To restrict the spread of the Covid-19 virus that caused the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged social distancing and prohibited human-to-human contact. Many countries have been put on lockdown, and sporting events (including the 2020 Olympics) have been impacted. Sports and exercise, which are often thought to be healthful pursuits, were also debated. Knowing that a lot of sports and exercise include physical contact which is prohibited, it is understandable that people are debating this issue since sports and exercise are also very helpful on our health especially that we need to stay healthy in these times of pandemic. The government should deeply look at this kind of issue. It is for them to decide what’s best for the people. At this time, it is impossible to predict the final impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports and exercise; nonetheless, the knowledge we acquired may help athletes and governmental institutions go forward safely. The decision to continue sporting events should be based on the number of cases in the area, and strong infection control measures should be applied during the early stages of resumption. We all can’t deny that sports and exercise are very important in our daily healthy living. It is very important especially for those competitive athletes and fitness enthusiasts. But we can’t deny either that safety is still paramount. What everyone should do is to practice safe sports with the appropriate measures, guidelines, and safety protocols. Through this, aside from living a healthy lifestyle, we can also prevent the further transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic. II.D Is E-Sport a ‘Real’ Sport? Reflections on the Spread of Virtual Competitions E-Sport has grown in popularity in recent years, to the point where it may be included in the Olympic Games in 2024. League of Legends, DOTA 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, StarCraft II, FIFA, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, NBA2KX, Rocket League, and Call of Duty are just a handful of the most well-known competitive electronic games. According to Jenny et al. (2017), E-Sports is the organized competitive playing of video games. Even while the discussion over whether eSport can be defined as a sport in the narrower sense or not is far from over, eSport has already established itself as a specific type of sporting competition in the public discourse. However, despite of having a lot of studies claiming that E-Sports are really considered as sports, there are still people who don’t considered it as real sports. Even my brother who is an athlete as well as an electronic gamer don’t want E-Sports to be included on Olympics. Aside from that, when it comes to E-sports, a better knowledge of the human rights implications is still needed, and developing regulations to protect players and spectators is a pressing task. That is why the government should help in promoting, providing, and requiring new tools and resources to protect children while they play while also providing appropriate data protections. Beyond the critical focus to commercial sexual exploitation of children, children's perspectives must be explored to determine where protection gaps exist. In light of this, a move in sporting activity to the digital realm is unsurprising. In this regard, the question arises as to whether the competition in the virtual world appears ‘real' to the players, or – more broadly – to what extent an individual is capable of separating the ‘virtual' from the ‘real'. But for me, as long as it promotes the overall health and wellbeing of a person, I will support it no matter what. II.E A Question of Colour: Systemic Racism in Sports and Exercise Medicine Racism is frequently perceived as harsh and overt. However, it is more often subtle, deeply ingrained in cultural attitudes, expectations, and behaviors. The lopsided distribution of wealth, power, and opportunities is a result of systemic racism (Zondi & Austin, 2021). We can’t really hide that racism is present just like the other issues mentioned in the previous articles. In the article, it was stated that black doctors frequently encounter a reaction of surprise that a person of color (POC) is in a position of authority. Similar to most industries, POC in Sports and Exercise Medicine are still trapped in historically physically laborious, junior/midlevel roles with limited opportunity for advancement into leadership roles. It is just so sad how other people have prejudices on the black people that even black doctors in Sports and Exercise Medicine and in general are doubted and seen as not eligible for their position. It’s like some people are judging them not by their skills and talents in their profession but with their skin color. The government really plays a big role in stopping and solving this issue. They should advocate and promote anti-racism in any means, not just in Physical Education and Sports but as well to other fields and areas. In my own opinion, it is really better if the government should make a law about it. A law where racists should be penalized and be imprisoned to jail. In that case, racism will slowly drop. Racism can take numerous forms and manifest itself in a variety of settings. Prejudice, discrimination, or hostility directed at a person because of their skin color, race, or national origin are all examples. Racism is a complex issue that encompasses more than just words, beliefs, and behaviors. It encompasses all hurdles to dignity and equality that people face as a result of their race. I just hope that in the near future, racism in PE and Sports, as well as in general, will be totally gone. III. References Bonilla, R. F. (2020, May 15). UP-CHK: P.E. essential in school curriculum. Business Mirror. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/05/15/up-chk-p-e-essential-in-schoolcurriculum/ Box, R. (n.d.). The Gender Equality Debate: A Boost for Women in Sport. Athlete Assessments. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://www.athleteassessments.com/gender-equality-debate/ Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports and exercise. (2020). Asia-Pacific Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation and Technology, 22, 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asmart.2020.07.006 Lenskyj, H. (1990). Power and Play: Gender and Sexuality Issues in Sport and Physical Activity. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 25(3), 235–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/101269029002500305 Thiel, A., & John, J. (2018). Is eSport a ‘real’ sport? Reflections on the spread of virtual competitions. European Journal for Sport and Society, 15(4), 311–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2018.1559019 Zondi, P. C., & Austin, A. (2021). A question of colour: systemic racism in sports and exercise medicine. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55(10), 526–527. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-103351
