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Beyond the Obvious: A Critical Look at Sport in the U.S.
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14910 |
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Section : |
MODERN THOUGHT
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| Issue
Date : |
10 / 1988 |
4,994 Words |
| Author
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Jay Coakley
Jay Coakley is professor of sociology and director of the
Center for the Study of Sport and Leisure at the University of
Colorado, Colorado Springs. He is the author of Sport in
Society: Issues and Controversies, (1986) third edition, Times
Mirror/Mosby, St. Louis, Missouri |
It doesn't take a sociologist to call our attention to the pervasiveness of the organized, competitive, physical activities we call sport in the United States. The popularity and visibility of sport events and sport participation in this country have grown dramatically over the century. And today, surveys indicated that nearly 75 percent of Americans participate in, watch, read about, or talk about sport with others on a daily basis. Sport makes up a significant part of our news coverage, and it is often an important part of our family lives, our educational experiences, our economy and our political system, and even our religious life.
Because of the pervasiveness of sport most people take its existence for granted. In fact, they see it as a "natural" part of the social landscape. And they tend to think that the way sport currently exists is the way it should exist, and that there could be no logical alternative. Consequently, they ask few questions about sport except those dealing with latest scores, point spreads, individual performances, trades and draft choices, won-loss records, and play-off probabilities.
But sport deserves a more critical examination. We need to ask more probing questions about sport. For example, why have sport activities changed throughout our history? Why has sport come to be such a significant part of our lives in the United States? And why is sport in this country planned, organized, and played in the ways it is? These questions get at the heart of the relationship between sport and American society. However, the search for answers has taken people in different directions, depending on their ideas about how American society is organized and how it operates. A look at two of the major approaches used in looking for answers can be informative.
A 'System Approach'
When Americans are asked why sport exists and what its role is in society, most respond with descriptions of the positive consequences of sport for individuals and for society as a whole. They say that sport provides a training ground for the development of desirable character traits and good citizenship and that sport reaffirms our values about success, competition, and playing by the rules.
This type of response is based on the unstated assumption that American society is made up of a system of interrelated parts, which remain integrated because people hold the same basic values and because all the major parts of society--the
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