Social Class and Sport

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chapter 13

• Social Class and Sport

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Chapter Outline

• Social Classes
• Social Class and Sport Activity
• Control of Sport
• Class Mobility in Sport
• Summary

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Economic Class Divisions

• Social class The categories of people who share
  similar positions in society based on their
  economic level, education, occupation, and social
  interaction.
• Social stratification The assignment of class
  based on inequalities in society such as power,
  prestige, and wealth.

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Key Point

• Individual opportunities in life are affected by
  class status.

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Developing Capital

• Economic capital The financial resources that one
  has or controls. These resources affect how we
  see the world and opportunities available to us.
• Social capital Resources available to a person
  based on memberships, relationships, and both
  social and business networks. Social capital is
  affected by family and friends.
• Cultural capital The skills and abilities we have
  based on our education and life experiences.

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Key Point

• Capital affects the sports we watch, play, and
  succeed in.

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• How does social class affect sport involvement,
  sport opportunities, and leadership or
  decision-making opportunities in sport?

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Social Class

• Social class status affects sport opportunities.
• Upper class
• Wealthy (with disposable income)
• Exclusive memberships, used to build social
  capital
• Can afford exceptional coaching and sport
  experiences
• Have the highest rates of sport participation
• Play exclusive sports such as golf, tennis, polo
• More likely to use health and fitness equipment

(continued)
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Social Class (continued)

• Upper-middle class
• Professionals such as lawyers, managers,
  physicians
• Many sport experiences and opportunities such as
  gymnastics, swimming, and archery
• Middle class
• Make careful decisions about expenses
• Many sport opportunities in community
• Lower class
• Low annual income (18,810 U.S.)
• Play team sports available and subsidized in the
  community
• Play strength, speed, and daring sports such as
  boxing wrestling, racing

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Access and Barriers to Sport

• Cost of high-performance training
• Requires economic, social, and cultural capital
• Top coaching and training can run as high as
  75,000 U.S. each year in some individual sports
• Must pay for coaching, facilities, physical
  training, travel, equipment
• Team sports
• Often run and subsidized by community
• Allows most kids to play
• Coaching is much more affordable

(continued)
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Access and Barriers to Sport (continued)

• High school sports
• Affluent schools win more championships
• Afford better facilities, equipment, and coaches
• Participants start sports earlier and receive
  more training
• Affluent schools win more female championships
  than male championships
• Community leagues
• Serve more children at a modest expense
• Provide training even in traditionally
  upper-class sports

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Who Controls Sport?

• Local communities Power is in the hands of
  administrators and boards of directors (parents,
  politicians).
• National level Power is in the hands of the
  people who control the money for the
  organization.
• Often from upper class or upper-middle class
• Media moguls (Rupert Murdoch), league
  commissioners, and superstar athletes
• Often White males

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Key Point

• People with power in sport have the ability to
  promote or prevent change in the game.

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Social Mobility Through Sport

• Educational opportunities
• Need to stay academically eligible to play
• Possibility for athletic scholarships (sport
  helps build social and cultural capital)
• College athletes may have more opportunities than
  nonathletes
• Leaders in business often attribute success to
  lessons learned through sport
• Is class mobility through sport possible?
• Unrealistic expectation
• Only 0.2 of high school athletes play
  professionally
• Best opportunity is to advance is through
  education

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Summary

• Opportunities in life are affected by social
  class.
• Social class affects the sports that we play.
• Money allows access to elite competition in many
  sports.
• Power in sport lies with those who have the
  ability to make changes. Often these people are
  White males.
• Sport can provide some opportunities for social
  mobility, but it also provides some false hope.

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On Deck

• Questions and comments
• Assignments and readings
• Next chapter Special Populations and Sport
• People with disabilities
• Aging adults