2.6 Nationalisation
Sports have different significance, implication, and symbolic meaning to different classes, and categories of gender, people, societies, communities, religion, countries, and fans. (Carter 2002). Bairner (2001) recognises that both gender and class play important roles in the formation of a particular version of a national identity. Sports nationalism and citizenship is used by nations to stamp their authority and to advertise their countries to the world. This is also to enlighten other nations that states is more than just national governments (Besnier and Brownell 2012). Foucault (1977, 1978) theorised that understanding the global landscape of sports with greater awareness of the state goes beyond national governments.
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Sport is a prime instrument for the socialisation of children to both nationalism and gender (Dyck 2010). According to Alter (1992) in the field of play national character is displayed. In soccer, the styles of play reflect national ideologies. For example in Soccer, the Brazilians play a style called samba which reflects ‘’individualistic creativity’’ whereas Germans are methodical in their play, evoking comparisons with a well-oiled machine. These play styles reflect their national values based on their ‘’historical, socially negotiated representations’’ (Carter 2002:8). In regards to style, the nationality of a team coach influences his ideals and philosophy. In Ghana, fans frequently claim that foreign coaches who enhance the national style of play find greater success than those who introduce a style inconsistent with the national style. Also, after gaining independence in 1957, Pres. Kwame Nkrumah used sports to establish national identity, generate recognition as an emerging country. This led to great success in the commonwealth and all African games in athletics (track and field), boxing, and football/soccer (Boateng and Maier
It goes without saying that a person's gender, racial and social origins influence their participation in sports. Particular races and genders often dominate certain sports. African Americans, for example, tend to dominate football and basketball, while Caucasians tend to dominate ice hockey. The same holds true for gender as well. Football is an entirely male dominated sport, while horseback riding, gymnastics and figure skating are much more female oriented. How and why did these divisions come about? Determining the origin of gender goes beyond the scope of this paper, however one can speculate about how gender classifications and stereotypes affect one's role in the sports arena.
Sports have always been important part of Canadian identity and culture. Since the rapid growth of both amateur and professional sports in the beginning of the previous century, sports like hockey, basketball and curling became inseparable part of Canadian culture. The two books under review examine Canadian sports in twentieth century and the changes it went through in early twentieth century are Bruce Kidd’s, The Struggle for Canadian Sport (University of Toronto Press, 1996) and Colin D. Howell’s, Blood, Sweat, and cheers: sport and the making of modern Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2001). Howell argues that sport in twentieth century was “important in the construction of gender identities and in the shaping of ethnic, racial, regional and community allegiances“. Kidd however argues that “the particular transformations of this period have shaped the structure of Canadian sports as much as anything before or since.” Both authors believe that this time period in sports had formative influence not only on the sports culture but also on Canadian identity
Coakley, J. J. (2007). Sports in society: issues & controversies (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
When discussing why sports matter and the influence it has had over the course of history, many controversial issues have been whether or not sports have taught us to cultivate discipline. Sheed explains that sports can play an important role in the lives of people by helping them discover who they are and where they want to be. The lesson of sports goes deeper than just practicing or playing a game, they help build characteristics that will prepare you for many obstacles in life. Sheed mentions that sports were created and put into schools to teach discipline, patience, and honesty to male students. He continues to point out that sports are very competitive and that sportsmanship and discipline does not matter anymore, but instead the very need to win. In “Why Sports Matter,” Wilfrid Sheed, contends that “sports did not only outlaw cheating but drilled its participants to detect and despise it in each other”. This was a crucial lesson taught to a nation based on transactions.
"Politics has come to be considered not only inappropriate in the arena of sports, but actually antithetical to it," Zirin says. "We want so much to see sports solely as an arena of play, not seriousness. But here's the thing, this can cheapen not only the greatness and relevance of sports to us as a society, but also the courage of the athletes" (The Nation). The pursuit of fame, wealth and status can blind the human conscious, which is why it is important for us to encourage athletes to speak their minds. As a nation, we should not silence the athletes, because it is the truly courageous athletes who have the audacity to stand up when it’s not popular. Sports should be used as a platform for a certain kind of politics: militarism, nationalism. There is a rich tradition of resistance to politics in sports, but their actions have been integral to country’s struggle for racial and gender equality; sports are a safe place to discuss these difficult topics.
Women’s participation in sport is at an all-time high and has almost become equal to men’s, however. Sports media does not fail to show this equality and skews the way we look at these athletes. Through the disciplines of sociology and gender studies, it can be seen that despite the many gains of women in sports since the enactment of Title IX, “traditional” notions of masculinity and femininity still dominate media coverage of males and females in sports, which is observed in Olympic programming and sports news broadcasts. Sociology is a growing discipline and is an important factor in the understanding of different parts of society. Sociology is “a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them” (Faris and Form P1).
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair. Sport speaks to people in a language they can understand.” Nelson Mandela. Sport contributes to community identity, serving as a focal point for engagement, pride, and achievement. The diversity of sports and sporting activities (including social sport and physical recreation) makes it an ideal medium to reach men and women from every age-group, culture, and socio-economic background. The broader benefits of sports go beyond the personal benefits derived from participation. Sport is a popular focal point
Research guided by conflict theory generally falls into the following categories: 1) studies of how athletes become alienated from their own bodies; 2) studies of how sports can be used to coerce and control people; 3) studies of sports and the development of commercialism in society; 4) studies of sports and various forms of nationalism and militarism; and 5) studies of sports and racism and sexism. (Coakley, 1998) In the book, Meggyesy provided examples of each of these categories which occurred during his footba...
Sport and identity together have a unique relationship in which any regional or national place can use sport as a means to create a sense of identity. The relationship is complex and varied. Identity can be explained as understanding what or who a person or a thing is. Sport is capable of creating a feeling of nationhood and this is an important factor. It is important too for a nation to create a sense of identity but it is especially important for a regional area. For a small country to host a major sporting event is a significant achievement especially with having rivalry with bigger neighbouring countries. Nationalism can be expressed in a less aggressive manner through sport because there is a clear winner and loser; it is a clear cut way of asserting superiority of your notion over others. In this essay, one regional and one national example will be looked upon to see how they use sport to assert their sense of identity. Cricket in Yorkshire County Cricket Club will be used as a source of a regional example and rugby in South Africa will be used as a national example. We will look at the factors they used to inflict sport as a means to promote their identity and also if these identities are sustainable.
Sports can help many at- risk youths. In order to participate in sports you need to be committed and willing to work hard. You also have to learn to respect others and accept that winning isn’t the only measure of success. Losing can build character as well. When youth participate in a sports they enjoy, they are less likely to engage in behaviors that are harmful or dangerous to themselves and others. It is for these reasons schools should strive to maintain athletic programs for their students.
Dealing with the issue of sport and ethnology, three major factors come to mind; prejudice, racism, and discrimination. These factors span across gender, ethnic, racial, religious, and cultural groups. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss how these factors have played a part in the evolution of sport in our society. The first issue tackled in this paper will be racism in sports, followed by prejudice and discrimination.
Looking back in history to the 19th century Europe, colonization and global expansion created a sense of competition amongst European nations. This sparked global rivalries over territories and was a catalyst to the age of nationalism in Europe. The competition between countries venture of manifest destiny was the leading catalyst in the rise of nationalism. It is no surprise that the nationalism and competitive nature of 19th century expansionism, created a platform for the rivalry and competition in modern sports (Bottenburg). Global rivalries in sports are played out in, major events such as the world cup and the Olympics. These events bring out the die-hard and the casual fan together in a global celebration of sporting and national pride. The World Cup of soccer is a great place to begin looking at the impact modern sports have on nationalism and national identity. Every four years 32 teams from across the globe come together in celebration of the worlds most popular game, in hopes their country wins the worlds most coveted trophy. Nationalism in this tournament comes in an array of positivity and negativity. The atmosphere, colors, flags, fans cheering and chanting songs shows the role of symbolism. On the other hand, hooliganism and violence amongst fans show us the negative aspect of attaching such strong nationalistic ties to a
Whether its baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, or tennis, sports is seen all over the world as a representation of one’s pride for their city, country, and even continent. Sports is something that is valued world-wide which has the ability to bring communities together and create different meanings, beliefs and practices between individuals. Although many people may perceive sports to have a significant meaning within our lives, it can also have the ability to separate people through gender inequalities which can also be represented negatively throughout the media. This essay will attempt to prove how gender is constructed in the sports culture while focusing on female athletes and their acceptance in today’s society.
Jeff Kemp, a retired professional NFL quarterback, once stated, “Sports teach positive lessons that enrich America even while revealing its flaws” (Kemp). Athletics offer so much more than the joy of game day and the thrill of a win. Being involved in sports holds the key to a world filled with passion, excitement, and once in a lifetime opportunities. There is nothing better than seeing the student section arrive in full force or hearing the school fight song chanted before kickoff. However, when life moves on and leaves sports behind, the lessons it has instilled in athletes never disappears. The play calls may be foggy and the jersey will be too tight, but what was innocently learned in the jersey shines out at an older age. Although life lessons can be learned through everyday activities, lessons such as teamwork, self-confidence, and dealing with failure are only truly learned through sports by young athletes.
Adopting an anthropological questions, researchers frame fundamental questions around a wide range of theoretical models (Coakley and Dunning 2004:150). Researchers in the anthropology of sport tend to employ a distinctive framework within which to address among other things, specialised problems like gender and sport, sport and ritual, and violence in human society (Blanchard 1995:23). The anthropology of sport is primarily a behavioral science closely related to cultural anthropology (Blanchard 1995:23) and tied to the knowledge that sport is an institution and a component of culture (Coakley and Dunning 2000:151). Cultural anthropologists believe that play, sports, and physical activity are universal features of cultures, past and present. Following this rationale, the study of sport should enable researchers to access the quality and nature of social problems of particular cultures (Blanchard 1995; Chandler et al