Sociology Of Access To Sport Framework

In our society sports are a very important social construction. As sports continue to grow, they are becoming more integrated into the major spheres of social life. Sports have become an entity, due to the fact that they not only create entertainment and jobs; sports have become a huge platform for various causes. Sports are extremely important to our society and have very powerful influences. Though experiences vary from person to person, most people have some sort of experience with sports. I personally have experienced sports more from the spectator and participant stance, and have been impacted from each perspective a great deal. Compared to sophomore safety, Jamal Adams my sports experience has been very different from impact and perspective.

Figueroa’s Framework for Examining Equity and Access in Sport and Physical Activity in Australian Society

Figueroa’s framework is identified to be a tool used to help investigate the issues surrounding equity, equality in sport and in general physical activity. Figueroa’s framework is constructed over 5 different areas which are all used to investigate ways in which inequities challenge the area of sport and physical activity. All of the levels connect and contribute to shaping the overall joint effect. They show the different functions that reinforce, create, remove and eliminate barriers within a sport.

Sociologist Peter Figueroa created a framework in order to analyse racism within society, and particularly to determine the equitable and accessibility within a physical activity (Hede, Russell and Weatherby, 2010). Figueroa’s Framework is an exceptionally useful and educational tool that is utilised in order to understand the socio-cultural factors that impact sports participation as an individual or in a team. Consisting of a five layer structure, Figueroa’s Framework includes the cultural, structural, institutional, interpersonal and individual levels which all umbrella their own factors of accessibility and equitability.

“Sport in Australia comes out as mad as a tree full of galahs in the first 20 minutes” (Nick Cummins) Sport has played a major role in Australia since the early settlement, and has helped shaped the Australian identity. As Australia is a multicultural country, different cultures have also made a huge impact on the sporting culture by including sports created from all over the world. The access and equity to sports can be explained by using Figueroa’s Framework, which consist of 5 levels. These being the individual level, which involves an individual’s attitudes, values and beliefs. The Interpersonal Level, which involves the participation based off peers, the media and role models.

The institutional level is not just about the influence of schools; it also looks at the availability of facilities and the structure of organised sport within a community. The rules of different sports are also considered as part of an analysis of the institutional level. Sporting rules, which are determined and standardised by sports’ governing organisations, can restrict access to certain groups and individuals.

For example, is it realistic to expect that a teenager living on a remote cattle station will have the same access to surfing as another teenager living in a coastal town? While some barriers, such as distance, cannot easily be overcome, many barriers that relate to people’s beliefs and attitudes about sport and physical activity can be removed. The study of equity and access in sport is primarily about reducing and removing the unreasonable and irrelevant barriers to participation—such as discrimination, prejudices and stereotyping. This may require a shift in current attitudes.

A huge part of Australian society and culture is sport, both spectating and participating. Professor Peter Figueroa developed a framework to look at the issues in access, equity and equality in many things but in this report it will be based on these issues in the sport of volleyball. Which in fact is the most popular sport in the world with an estimated 998 million participants in the sport in formal competitions around the globe. (Topendsports.com, 2015).

Upon analysing equity and access in sport, it is important that I am aware of what levels of the framework have influenced my sport participation. In Queensland especially, the sport of AFL comes with primarily negative connotations. These preconceived notions about the sport and the cultural have had a negative effect on my participation and approach towards the sport. Gender stereotypes have also been a deterrent in my participation. Sports, such as AFL, require participants to be competitive, courageous, powerful and strong. These qualities are largely associated with male gender stereotypes. Sport reinforces hegemonic masculinity by celebrating stereotypically masculine and activities and attributes, and restricting the behaviour of women.

This is very hard though because equipment and availability for the working class is limited due to lack of resources, especially financially. A Marxist focuses on the distribution of power in sport: Who has the power and why? Inequality can again be identified. Sport is determined and shaped by the economic system in the powerful Bourgeoisie and again promotes the interest of those: increasing capital, maintaining power and privileges (Abercrombie et al, 2000).

This study reveals much about the attitudes that persist in society today regarding sport and gender. Early on, sport was created to serve men, evolving as a celebration of maleness, valuing strength, power, and competition. It idealized, promoted, and rewarded successful, elite athletes, established “the dream” as a professional career in sports, and viewed mass participation in sport as a tool to weed out the weak (Hill, 1993). In contrast, women’s sports originated to “address the expressed need for healthful exercise” (Huckaby, 1994). Unlike the competitive warrior mode

Throughout generations, social mobility has become something everyone wants to attain in their lifetime. Through social mobility comes a better and more stable life. There are many ways to achieve maximum mobility, which include getting a higher education and reducing risk in your life. There are also a lot of myths towards this concept that has been portrayed by the media and one of the myths is the social mobility gained by a person playing a sport. Americans in today's world believe that sports are the path we should take to have full financial and social flexibility. Examples leading to this conclusion are obvious as we see kids from poor areas escalate their nobility and capital through their abilities to compete in sports. From the million-dollar contracts and endorsement deals, the ideology behind being an athlete is that your social mobility will rise, but many statistics will prove otherwise. Although it is possible for athletes to gain revenue and fame, the overall ideology of sports of gaining maximum social flexibility from being involved in a sport is a myth.

Sport sociology examines sports as a part of cultural and social life, and adds a different dimension and perspective to the study of sport and exercise. More specifically, sport sociology examines the relationship between sports and society and seeks answers to many issues and questions regarding sport and culture. Sociology of sport poses critical and controversial issues; additionally, sports are considered a microcosm of society, the same social issues that exist in larger society also exist in sport culture. I have chosen eight peer-reviewed Sociological Journals to expand upon the understanding of this topic that I found to be the most relevant and offer diverse yet complete perspectives on sports.

What is the social role of sport? To what extent does social structure influence the practice and experience of sport? Discuss in relation to two of the following: gender, class, ethnicity or Aboriginality, or region. Illustrate your answer with at least three examples from sporting contexts (local or international).

Sporting chance has been a part of the sport development sector for over 23 years now and has been a colossus when it comes to the organization of events for the participants as well as setting out to create projects which should increase the participation levels of sport and the awareness of sport itself. Whilst doing so, Sporting Chance breaks down the barriers of cultures as well as race, gender and individual earning levels,