Sport in Society:
Issues and Controversies
Socialization:
Main Definition
Socialization
Chapter 4
Sports and Socialization:
Who Plays
and What Happens to Them?
aIs an active process of learning and
social development
aOccurs as we interact with others
aInvolves the formation of ideas about who
we are and what is important in our lives
Socialization:
A Functionalist Approach
Socialization:
A Conflict Approach
Based on an
internationalization model
that focuses on
aThe characteristics of those being
socialized
aThe people and institutions believed to do
the socializing
aThe specific outcomes of socialization,
i.e., the types of learning that occurs
Based on an
internalization model
that focuses on
aHow sports and sport participation divides people
in the working class
aHow people with few resources are denied
opportunities to play sports
aThe lack of rights among athletes
aHow money and power are used to control sports
and exploit others to maintain the status quo
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Socialization:
Interactionist Models
aUtilize qualitative rather than quantitative
research methods
aGoal is to obtain detailed descriptions of
sport experiences
aSeek information on how people make
decisions about sports in their lives
aConnect meanings given to sports and
sport experiences with the larger social
and cultural context
Becoming Involved
& Staying Involved in Sports
Interactionist research indicates
that sport participation is related
to:
aOngoing processes in people’s lives
aDecision making processes in which
decisions
Becoming Involved
& Staying Involved in Sports
Functionalist research indicates
that sport participation is related to:
aA person’s abilities & characteristics
aThe influence of significant others
aThe availability of opportunities to play &
experience success in sports
Stevenson’s Findings
(1999)
Becoming an elite athlete involves:
aThe process of introduction and
involvement
aThe process of developing
commitment
¾Change as social circumstances change
¾Are never made once and for all time
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Donnelly & Young’s
Findings (1999)
Becoming an athlete in a sport
subculture involves:
aAcquiring knowledge about the sport
aAssociating with people in the sport
aLearning the norms of the sport
aReceiving recognition and acceptance
from other athletes
Functionalist and Conflict Theory:
Research on Dropping Out of Sports
aPeople don’t drop out forever, nor do they cut
all ties with sports
aDropping out is tied to other changes and
transitions in a person’s life
aDropping out is not related only to bad
experiences
aDropping out may cause problems among those
who
¾ Have identities grounded totally in sports
¾ Lack social & material resources
Coakley & White’s
Findings (1999)
Deciding to play sports depends
on:
aIdeas about sport’s connection to other
interests and goals
aDesires to develop & display competence
aSocial and material support
aMemories of past experiences in sports
aGeneral cultural images and messages
about sports
Coakley’s Findings (1992)
Burnout among elite adolescent athletes
was most likely when:
aHigh performance sports were organized
so that athletes had little control over their
lives
aSport involvement interfered with
accomplishing important developmental
tasks
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Koukouris’ Findings (1994)
Wheeler’s Findings (1999)
Ending or reducing sport participation
was associated with:
aThe need to find a job and become
independent
aRealistic assessments of sport skills and
potential for future achievements
aEfforts to stay physically active and
connected with sports
When competitive sport careers ended,
the main challenges faced by athletes
with disabilities were:
Summary: Changing or Ending
Competitive Sport Participation
aChanges in participation are grounded in
decision-making processes tied to people’s
lives, life courses, and social worlds
aIdentity issues and developmental issues are
important
aReinvesting time and energy into other
spheres of life
aReconnecting with family members and
friends
aGoing back to school and getting on with
occupational careers
Do Sports Build Character?
In many cultures people use a form of
character logic that assumes that
playing sports automatically builds
positive traits among participants
aProblems are most likely when sport
participation has constricted a person’s life
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Factors Often Overlooked in Research on
Character Building in Sports
1. Different sports offer different
experiences
2. Selection processes in organized sports
favor some characteristics over others
3. Different people define sport
experiences in different ways
4. Meanings given to sport experiences
often change over time
Power & Performance Vs.
Pleasure & Participation Sports
Pleasure/Participation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Emphasis on
connections between
people
Ethic of expression,
enjoyment, health
Body = source of
pleasure
Inclusion & accommodation of differences
Democratic structures
Compete with others
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Power/Performance
Use power to push limits
in pursuit of victories
Excellence proved
through winning
Body = tool and weapon
Competence-based
inclusion/exclusion
Hierarchical structures
Opponents = enemies
Sport Participation Is Most Likely to
Produce Positive Effects When (I)
1.
2.
3.
4.
New non-sport identities are formed
Knowledge is gained about the world
beyond sports
Experiences go beyond sports
New relationships are formed that go
beyond sports
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Sport Participation Is Most Likely to
Produce Positive Effects When (II)
5.
6.
7.
Lessons learned in sports are applied to
situations outside of sports
Participants are seen by others as total
human beings, not just athletes
General competence and responsibility
are learned
Studies of Sport Experiences
The voices of sport participants
indicate that
aPeople define and give meaning to their sport
experiences in connection with their social
relationships
aMeanings given to sport experiences are
grounded in cultural definitions about gender,
race & ethnicity, social class, sexuality, and
other characteristics defined as socially
important
General Summary:
aIf playing sports constricts or limits a
person’s life, expect negative socialization
effects
aIf playing sports expands or diversifies
a person’s life, expect positive
socialization effects
Studies of the Social
Worlds of Sports
aSports can be sites for powerful forms of
socialization
aSport experiences can be understood
only when placed in context
aThe behaviors of athletes are understood
best when studied in context
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Studies of Socialization As a
Community & Cultural Process
Socialization
and the Formation of Ideology
aSports are sites for struggling over how
we think and what we do
aSports are sites where people create and
learn “stories” they can use to make
sense of the world
aSports consist of vocabularies and
images that influence ideology
aHegemony is the process of forming
agreement about particular ways of viewing and
making sense of the world
What Socialization Research
Doesn’t Tell Us
aHow socialization processes operate in
the lives of people from various ethnic
groups & social classes
aThe dynamics of sport participation
careers among young children
aHow people make participation decisions
about different types of sports
aSports are important sites for hegemonic
processes because they provide pleasurable
experiences to so many people
aCorporate sponsors use sports to establish
“ideological outposts” in people’s heads
Questions?
Comments?
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