Sociology And Sports

3 Pages 755 Words

What is Sociology?
Sociology is the study of human society or social problems. When we speak of sociology in context with sport we try to understand the way society effects sport. Sociology can also be described as the systematic study of principally modern and industrialised societies. This is based on the assumption that human behaviour derives from large part from the interaction with theses societies.

What evidence is there of this?
Children that were raised by animals act like animals because that’s how they were raised. There was no evidence of brain damage they were just never taught how to speak or behave as humans do

Two classic evocations of sociologies mission!
Karl Marx was a German philosopher and political campaigner. He was of the view that people make their own history but not of the circumstances of their choosing.

Mills was another leading figure in sociology. His view was that “ no social study that does not come back to the problem of biography, of history, and of the intersection within a society has completed its intellectual journey.”

Applying Sociology to Sport
Mills was of the view that through sociology troubles, which are private, become issues, which are publicly shared. A good example of this is David Beckham who has his private troubles headlining the sports pages of the national papers for all the public to read. Mills believed that these sporting personalities are role models in society and that we cannot fully understand them unless we understand the issues in which they are a part of.

Examples of Issues

Class differences
· Why aren’t there any working class polo players?
· Because you’re from different classes, does that mean you experience sports differently?

Gender issues
· Should females be allowed to box?
· Does sex equality now exist in sport?

Media Issues
· Has the media created football hooliganism
· Is the portrayal of female athletes as se...