Theoretical perspectives in the sociology of sport

Theoretical perspectives in the sociology of sport Social and cultural theories are often used when studying and applying knowledge to sports. The theories in society often provide a framework for asking research questions, interpreting information and being able to uncover the deeper meanings and stories that are associated with sports, they also enable citizens in the society to become more informed so that we can apply what we have learned from the research and being able to apply it in the world that we live in. Theories also enable people to see things in new angles and perspectives and give us the ability to make informed decisions about sports and how sports participation can be used in our lives, communities, families and societies. The six main theories used in sport have many points and can overlap with each other but only two are going to be discussed in this study. The two theories chosen to compare are functionalist theory and conflict theory. Functionalist theory is a macro sociological theory that is based on the characteristics of social patterns, structures, social systems and institutions such as family, education, religion, leisure, the economy, media, politics and sport. If all these social institutions are organized and co-operate with one another around a set of core values functionalist theorists assume that the entire social system will function properly and efficiently. Society in functionalism has a view that it is an organized system of interrelated parts that are held together by shared values and established social arrangements that help maintain the system in being in a state of equilibrium and balance. When sociologists use functionalist theory they split it into two parts, the first concept of interdependent parts is all of the social institutions (media, religion, sports, politics and economics) and how they are linked together. In the tradition of Talcott Parsons and his conception of functional imperatives (goal attainment, adaptation, latency and integration) functionalists argue that there are four basic system needs for any society in sports (team, clubs etc) to run smoothly and that everyone will benefit. The four principles are Adaptation In order to survive in a society it is essential that members learn to adapt to changes in the social structure and culture. Another important element to survival is the emphasis on being physically fit as it is required for most sports. Goal Attainment This is the motivation of individuals to achieve societys goals through socially accepted means. Sport is preoccupied with tracking the success and failures of its participants however it also teaches participants that if they work hard enough it will lead to victory meaning success. Integration Sport promotes social connections between people and gives them the opportunity to co-operate with each other in a group and a community. It also provides a feeling of social identification as well as a source of personal identity. The society must keep itself together. Latency (pattern maintenance and tension management) Each system must maintain itself in a possible state of equilibrium for as long as it can without any outside disruptive influences. Many forms of pattern maintenance are provided by sport primarily through participation where the participants are taught to accept an authority structure that is well defined for example athletes knowing that referees have the authority over them to make sure they stick to the rules of the sport. Functionalist theory in sport generally leads to the conclusion that it is popular in society because it can maintain the values of character that help to preserve stability and order in social life. Functionalist theory also supports sporting policies that help and recommend the growth of competitive sport programmes, developing coaching education programmes, in the case of youth sport there is an establishment on criminal bureau checks and qualification checks on coaches before working with younger children. The theory also supports the establishment of training centres for elite athletes so they can maintain their top-level performance and making sure to have increased surveillance and drug testing so they are able to supervise and control the actions of athletes by preventing those taking drugs so they cant cheat their way to attaining a better sporting performance. People in society who have positions of power tend to favour functionalist theory as it is based on the assumption that society is organised for benefiting the people in that society of equality and that in any dramatic way it should not be changed. While functionalist theory is a popular approach it does have some weaknesses. The weaknesses of functionalist theory is that it tends to lead to exaggerated accounts of positive consequences of sports and sports participation however it mistakenly assumes that there are no conflicts of interests between the different citizen groups in society such as women, people with disabilities, racial groups and people who are economically poor in society yet it doesnt recognise that sport can privilege or disadvantage people more than others. The theory also ignores the powerful historical and economic factors that have influenced social events and social relationships. Functionalist theory is centered on the idea that there is a consensus in the values and norms of society and that social institutions found within a society are integrated and function together. In contrast conflict theory looks at the role of power and the inequality found throughout society and how sport is shaped by these economic forces and used by people with economical power to increase their influence and wealth. Conflict theory is based on the ideas of Karl Marx (1818 1883) which rose to importance during the 1970s because of the growing disenchantment with functionalist theory. This theory of Karl Marx views sports as being built on the foundations of economic power. In societys that are capitalistic you see that relationships and social arrangements are organised around wealth, money and economic power for example in the United States its easy to point out the owners of the sport teams as they are benefiting financially from the expense of elite athletes, the coaches that work alongside the athletes and the spectators who watch the sport. Like functionalist theory conflict theory is based on the assumption that society is like a social system however conflict theory focuses on the needs of capital rather than the general system needs. Theorists of conflict theory explain that a society which is capitalist will not be able to survive and grow without exploiting any workers for the sake of boosting financial profits; they also suggest that if radical changes are to be concluded in sport and society by prevailing justice and fairness they need to identify the negative consequences that sport has. Once these changes are made sport will become a source of creative energy, expression and physical well-being. People who live in capitalist economies are generally not comfortable with the assumptions and conclusions of conflict theory because they say it has a negative effect and does not fit into their ideas about society and sport as they feel uneasy with the conclusions of calling for radical change in the current organisat ion and structure that they already have. Much of conflict theory is directed at sports which are dominated by spectators. Conflict theorists if they had the choice they would increase the control that athletes and other sporting participants have to promote sport at local community level so that it benefits all classes of people rather than just all elite athletes. Meaning the working class would have more influence of sport than the rich class giving them more motivation for participation and eliminating profits. Many conflict theorists favour players unions that confront pro-team owners and are supporting organisations that help to guard against public tax money being used to benefit wealthy people. Ideally any public resources would be used to help aid sponsoring sports that are designed to improve physical fitness, political awareness and include placing the element of fun into activities. Conflict theorists (Leonard 1980; Rigauer2004) would also campaign for athletes at all levels to have representation with making dec isions about sport in organisations so Olympians would be able to vote on policy questions that concerned the staging of the Olympic Games. Conflict theory also has three major weaknesses. The first weakness is that the theory tends to ignore the possibility that sport in capitalist societies can and may involve experiences that give individuals and groups power. Conflict theorists talk about how sport is organised to maximise the control that wealthy people have over other members in a capitalist society. The conflict theory approach doesnt acknowledge that sport can take many forms of serving interests in the have-not society and denies that any participation in sport can be a personal creative and liberating experience that will inspire members of society to make economic changes that will help to promote equality in exiting capitalist societies. Secondly conflict theory ignores the importance of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age and many other factors when it comes to explaining how people want to identify themselves, how they relate to other members in the society and how they organise the social world in whi ch they live. Often its leading people to overlook the possibility that inequalities and power in any society are based on factors other than economic and social class differences. Thirdly the theory assumes that all aspects of social life are determined economically and is shaped by the needs of having capital in society and profit motive. Theorists of conflict theory focus on the assumptions that of economic factors when studying sport however they tend to overlook participation and recreational port for healthy living. Functionalist theory and conflict theory both focus on the needs of society and how sport can relate to the satisfaction of the system needs. The theories dont inform us about sport in everyday life and the ways in which people are active agents who are participating in the processes of sports and societies that are organised and changed. They both also ignore that sport and social constructions emerge in peoples everyday life when they struggle to decide what is important and how they are going to collect organisation in their lives.

brave new world :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel â€Å"Brave New World†, by Aldous Huxley, is a history book written for the future. The author envisions our society in the future and the dangerous direction it is headed in. â€Å"Brave New World† verse reality creates similarities between these two worlds. Our society is based on balance and when that balance is broken, unhappiness accrues. If the truth was hidden, happiness could never be disturbed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In chapter sixteen, Mustapha Mond explains why their society hides the truth and how the truth could cause pain. Soma is used in the â€Å"Brave New World† to prevent the truth or any clichà ©s that could cause unhappiness. Lenina, â€Å"A gramme is always better than a damn,† â€Å"A gramme in time saves nine.† In reality we call that drug abuse. Drug addicts use different substances to escape the harsh reality of truth. Living without the drugs seems unimaginable and frightening in both worlds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ËœHypnopaedia’ is used to teach people their way of life and moral lessons. In the story a young boy named Ruben Rabinovivch fell asleep with the radio on listening to a professor giving a lecture. When he awoke the next morning he could recite the facts, but did not know what they meant. In our society, people use similar tactics with tapes to learn and memorize facts. Also propaganda and advertisements are use to convince or even to control our way of thinking into what the advertiser wants us to believe. If someone in the â€Å"Brave New World† society does not follow the propaganda, they are considered abnormal and an outcast. We do the same in our current reality by not accepting someone in our group if he has different beliefs, culture or religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I consider the ‘Nine Years’ War’ to be compared to the war in Afghanistan. The biochemical warfare is used in both worlds. Our civilization today is concerned and scared. If the truth were hidden, as to the â€Å"Brave New World† maybe our society would be happy, too.

“The Most Valuable Thing in Life Is Friendship”. Do You Agree?

In this era of globalization, people are busy chasing for material wealth,leaving behind many valuable things. It is undeniable that our society is becoming more materialistic. For most of us,money is the most important thing on earth. However, we have forgotten that there are certain things which money could not buy. To name a few,friendship,family,love and health. But which is the most valuable thing in our life? In my opinion,friendship is what I will cherish the most. Admittedly,depression had become a big menace in our society. People start to concern about this issue and it has surely become a hot topic nowadays. Mass media has been trying hard to give solutions to the public,hoping to reduce the impact of depression,such as suicides. However,people are becoming more individualistic nowadays. We are selfish and only mind their own business. Worse off,we no longer see the value of a true friendship. Instead,we love to compete among each other,either to get a higher position in class or in a company. More disheartening is, some even set friends up just to achieve success. This phenomenon certainly do not help those who are suffered from depression They have no where to seek for help as they hardly find a friend they could trust to talk to. As we all know,the cost of getting professional help is rather pricey and not everyone can afford it. Therefore,I believe that nothing is more important than we,as a part of the society,change our mindset and see the importance of a true friendship, namely the most valuable things in life. A friend is a listener,a counselor, a supporter and the list is endless. A friend is also someone we can trust. The reason I am of the opinion that friendship is the most valuable thing in life is a friend is always be there for us and is always ready to give us a helping hand. For instances,a friend can help to take care of our homes and pets while we are on vacation. When we are depressed,a friend is also ready to listen and give us advice. The value of friendship is also seen in the business. There are many businessmen and entrepreneur that always highlight the importance of friendship in their life. They shared their experience,which their friends offered them modal to start their business and promoted their business. Those who are working in the insurance sector also. One of the qualities to success in this field is having a wide social circle. In short,I believe that friendship is really the most important and valuable thing in life. However,I could not deny the fact that family is also one valuable thing in life. Whenever we met a problem,the first one we'll think of is our family. It is always true that family will never betray us and is able to forgive our every mistakes. We grew up with our family members and therefore,the strong bonding causes them to be the one that understand us the most and will give us suitable advice to make a decision. Many successful figures show that they cherish their family and always try their best to spend some precious time with family. Many good qualities we possess now, too,were inculcated since we're young by our dear parents. The undivided love from our family makes it one valuable thing to cherish in our life. There are also many things to cherish in life. To name a few,knowledge is also valuable because with a wide knowledge,others will not look down upon us. Our own reputation and image can be increased with vast knowledge we gained in our life. Health, too, is what we should cherish in our life. Without a healthy body,we will not be able to enjoy our life. To summary,there are too many valuable things to be cherish in our life besides friendship. To conclude,we should not take a true friendship for granted. Instead,it is imperative for us to put as much effort as we could to conserve the value of a friendship,which is the most valuable thing in our life, as it brings us immense benefit. If you think it is bad,forgive me. I am still learning to produce a nice piece of work. And,honestly,it is better than what I've written in my MUET test just now.

Magic in Medieval Fantasy An Ordinary Event Turning into...

Magic is the word that stirs many exciting visions in the imagination; a girl in rags being transformed into a beautiful princess, the magic kiss that changes a frog into a prince or perhaps a destined king pulling a sword out of a stone. It becomes the supernatural force steering the characters through their obstacles beyond natural human power and capabilities with the aid of some other supernatural being or force leading to a point where good overcomes evil. Magic plays an important role in the lives of characters in medieval fantasy as the heroes are confronted with magic in their everyday world and relationships are tested by these elements causing various effects. For the characters of medieval fantasy an ordinary event†¦show more content†¦The hero’s task is usually something unusual that involves magic. Pwyll is transformed into the likeness of Anwnn and sent to the underworld to complete his task. He is sent into the underworld for the period of a year or like Christ in Christianity who went into the bowels of the earth for three days, and then came forth victorious. Pwyll’s faithfulness to the task earned him great reward, and he received the bond of friendship promised him as well as treasures and a new title. He was no longer Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed. He was now, Pwyll Head of Annwn. The heroes are thrown into what seems to be impossible situations. Orfeo expresses his heart of devotion to his much adored wife. He says, â€Å"Wherever you go, I shall go with you† (p.73) As soon as he makes his declaration his relationship with Herodis is presented with what appears to be the impossible and their relationship as husband and wife is tested. Herodis is taken by a faerie kingdom. Will he or won’t he pursue her? Magic has had a drastic but changing affect on Orfeo. His world has fallen apart and everything that was dear to him is gone. He is affected in such a way that he takes off into the wilderness alone with his harp leaving behind his kingdom and all his wealth. He has made a huge sacrifice for the sake of his wife, and it is obvious that his faithfulness and devotion to her has proved true. â€Å"All his kingdom he forsook† and â€Å"But his harp heShow MoreRelatedManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagesrobots used on the production line and began to use advanced IT to build and track the quality of cars being produced. Indeed, for a time it seemed that robots rather than employees would be building cars in the future. However, Toyota discovered something interesting at its fully roboticized car plant. When only robots build cars, efï ¬ ciency does not continually increase because, unlike people, robots cannot provide input to im prove the work process. The crucial thing is to ï ¬ nd the right balance between