SPTE 110 1st Edition Lecture 13 Chapter 13 Social Class and Sport ANCILLARY Not the sport not the coaches not the players Example concessions parking ticket takers etc Economic and 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 Key point Individual opportunities in life are affected by class status Developing Capital Economic capital The financial resources that one has or controls These affect how we see the world and our opportunities o Does not necessarily have to be your own money but you control it o Example marketing coordinator has a marketing budget o Rodger Gadell commissioner of the NFL Social capital Resources available to a person based on memberships relationships and both social and business networks o Who you get to associate mingle with Cultural capital Skills and abilities we have based on education and life experiences Discussion Individual opportunities in life are affected by class status Do you believe that sport transcends social class Key Point Capital affects the sports we watch play and succeed in These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Upper Class Social class affects sport opportunities o Wealthy with disposable income o Exclusive memberships used to build social capital o Can afford exceptional coaching and sport experiences o The highest rates of sport participation o Play exclusive sports such as golf tennis polo sailing horseback riding skiing o More likely to use health and fitness equipment Middle and Lower Classes Upper middle class o Includes professionals such as lawyers managers physicians o Has many sport experiences and opportunities Middle class o Makes careful decisions about expenses o Has many opportunities in community and school based team sports Lower class o Plays team sports available and subsidized in the community Free sport where equipment is either free or not expensive Discussion How does social class affect sport involvement sport opportunities and leadership or decision making opportunities in sport Access and Barriers to Sport Elite Level Cost of high performance training o Requires economic social and cultural capital o Top coaching and training can run as high as US 75 000 each year in some individual sports o Costs include coaching facilities travel equipment Team sports o Often run and subsidized by community o Allows most kids to play coaching more affordable High school sport Affluent schools win more championships o Can afford better facilities equipment and coaches o Participants start sports earlier and receive more training Community leagues o Serve more children at a modest expense o Offer training even in traditionally upper class sport Discussion What ideas do you have to lower the barriers to sport participation across social classes 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 organization s money o Often from upper class or upper middle class o Media moguls Rupert Murdoch league commissioners and superstar athletes o Often white males see Business Week s top 10 list Key Point People with power in sport have the ability to promote or prevent change in the game Curt Flood MLB baseball player first free agency Went to court for the reserve clause Social Mobility in Sport Educational Opportunities Need to stay academically eligible to play Possibility exists 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 in Sport Possible May be an unrealistic expectation Only 0 2 of high school athletes play professionally o At any level for any length of time o 02 includes minor leagues not just major leagues Best opportunity to advance is through education o Harry Edwards