SOCIETY, SPORT AND ITS CONTRADICTIONS: THE PARADOXES OF CURRENT SPORT

Physical Education Department

INTRODUCTION

• Nowadays, sport is a sign of quality of our society, sport is a key part of our 21st society with its advantages and disadvantages. In this unit we’ll deal with some of the most controversial topics in sport phenomenon in society to make a critical thought about it.

POLITICS AND SPORT

• At a political level, sport is considered a propaganda tool.

• In some countries sport is used as a way of leaving aside the real problems and of entertaining the citizenship.

• At the same time, the politician tries to associate his image with a sport success.

• On the other hand, sportsmen don’t want to be linked to a political party or ideology.

SPORT BUSINESS• Think about these

questions that everybody has listened to at any time:

• ‘do you practice any sport?’,

• ‘what do you do in your free time?’,

• do you do any physical activity in the open air?’

• or ‘you should do sport’.

ECONOMY AND SPORT

• Nowadays, sport is a leading economic activity in Spanish society since it represents the 1.2 % of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

• Sport needs facilities and services which are rather expensive, it also needs specific material and equipment and it also needs people who teach sport, computers, medical assistance, TV satellites… that is, an economic importance that isn´t very often noticed.

VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSIONS IN SPORT

• It´s remarkable to say that human actions are influenced mainly by the environment, that is, the society.

• It´s true the topic is open, maybe the collective contribution of Biology, Psychology and Sociology could give us an answer to this dilemma.

Then, why are we so worried by the violence phenomenon?

•First of all, because the wave of violence around sport causes obvious personal,

material and moral damages. But because of our tolerance towards violence has

fallen, violence is not so extreme and our sensitivity is higher than before.

BETS IN SPORT

• Betfair, Bwin or Unibet are 3 of the most usual bookmakers. Betting on sports in the Internet is extremely easy: a credit card and be over 18 are the only requirements.

• But this entails that matches are fixed, there are bent referees or agreements among the players to manipulate the scores in a sport competition.

DRUG-TAKING IN SPORT

Why is the reason to use drug?

FORBIDDEN SUBSTANCES AND METHODS

IN SPORT.

• In our society, medicines are not only used to fight illnesses but also to help in extreme physiological situations (tiredness, pain, sleep, anxiety…).

• The sportman resorts to them to stimulate himself, make his strength and concentration grow, calm his tiredness…

• This is the group of forbidden substances:

• Stimulants.• Narcotics• Anabolic steroids.• Diuretics.• Pharmacological substances.

“The recreational sport as well as the competitive one have an important role in current societies”.

MASS MEDIA IN SPORT•By means of the mass media, sport has

become popular. •The king of sports is, without any doubt,

football which is continuously broadcast in radio and TV and occupies plenty of pages in sport press.

•Mass media exert great influence in the personal opinion of each person.

SPORT MAKES AND POPULAR AND PROFESSIONAL SPORT.

SPORT SPONSORSHIPThis sponsorship has a few characteristics that make it different:

• Sport sponsorship represents the 11% of the advertising investment every year. This implies an investment of 600 million €.

• Visibility. It focused on advertising and marketing. It allows that the logo of the firm can be seen everywhere.

• Spectators. Diverse, numerous and less elitist public.

• Media presence. Sports are in the media more frequently than any other activity. Sponsoring a team, a sportsman of a sport event guarantees the presence of the logo in a video, in a photo….

SPORT MAKES AND POPULAR AND PROFESSIONAL SPORT.

THE VALUES OF SPORT SPONSORSHIP

SPORT AND INDIVIDUAL SPONSORSHIPS.

• A desire of doing better.• Competiveness.• Effort.• Team spirit.• Work.• Perseverance.• Reach the goals.• Sacrifice.

• Although individual sponsorship is not born from sport sponsorship, it´s true that in this field we find more individual sponsorships.

• Individual sponsorship is found either in team sports or individual ones. The same firm can sponsor Messi or Michael Phelps (a swimmer).

• On the other hand, sport sponsorship must think about getting the highest results of sportsman.

ADVERTISING IN SPORT.

• The relationship between Advertising and sport is so close that both activities profit each other.

• The sponsors use sport as a way of persuading consumers who are gradually more heterogeneous.

• Sport provides the businessman with a profitable alternative to carry out advertising campaigns with a multitarget profile.

• It´s possible to choose among sports broadcast in television or in live.

ADVERTISING IN SPORT• From the football shirt to

the stadium hoardings, the smartvision system or LEDs screens, everything is surrounded by advertising.

• Most times firms resort to these strategies starred by celebrities: Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafa Nadal….

FREE TIME AND SPORT• Sports are the healthiest

option for the human body, to practice them we should supplement them with another factor, our free time.

• We must enjoy both. Free time means leisure and we have to choose what to do: rest, watch TV, do sport…

PROFESSIONALIM AND SPORT

WORLD SPAIN

• The sport spectacle entails the professionalization of the sportsman. He becomes a star, a worker on many occasions, a luxury worker.

• For example, the NBA comes in 400 million€ every year, it also has 20 important sponsors.

•  • In Spain the professional sport is

very developed in relation to the whole of the sport system. The professionalization reaches football and basketball but also other sports such as handball, volleyball…

• On the other hand, in Spain we like organizing great championships and paying large amounts of money to sportsmen.

• For this reason, Spain on many occasions is a goldmine for many of these sportsmen from other countries.

SCHOOL AND SPORT• We should provide them with a basic multi sport ….with

contextualized learning situations where they can practice several technical tactical elements.

• On the other hand, the introduction to a sport can’t be reduced only to motor aspects but we also should try to foster an education in values and an improvement of attitudes.

• Among these attitudes: Respect to the classmates. Be a good winner and a good loser. Fair play. Cooperation with the classmates. Tolerance. Respect to the rules. Critical attitude towards some high competition behaviours.

• We should try that students practice sport out of school and for that, they have to maintain a good relationship with it by means of positive experiences.

WOMAN AND SPORT• Women have had

restricted access to sport, for a woman is much more difficult to devote professionally to sport than for a man.

• There are other barriers that have to be overcome:

Little presence in the mass media,

No economic incentives to invest in female sport,

Less spectacle of their competitions…

SPECTACLE AND SPORT• The appearance of sport as a

mass spectacle makes the person a passive subject (spectator) instead of an active one (sportsman). Sport becomes an entertainment.

• The passive spectator identifies himself with the sportsman who admires.

• The sport spectacle causes the threat of making our conscience sleepy. There is no time to participate actively in the building of the human condition because in sport the spectacle becomes an addictive drug.

JUNIOR SPORT AND EARLY PROFESSIONALISM

• Not always sport skills last throughout the childhood and adolescence.

• The difference between the recreational model of sport and the professional one.

• Professional sport involves a greater amount of time devoted to train, economic income, regularity in competitions…

It´s said that adolescence is the vital stage when more withdrawals in

sport take place. It´s a key moment not only in the

consolidation of personality but also in the choice of a vocation….

PARENTS AND SPORT• The fanatical fatherHe searches for his son’s victory above all. He doesn’t respect the decisions made by

referees, he uses swearwords and he is always complaining. • The sporting frustrated fatherHe tried to excel in a sport but he didn´t achieve the goal. They use to choose this

activity for their children without taking into account the child´s likes something that causes even his rejection.

•  The trainer fatherHe wants his son to be a top sportsman, training is the most important activity

leaving aside the pleasure of playing. This kind of training causes psychological and physiological risks in children.

• The manager fatherThis father offers the sport ´rights´ to a club of sport body.

• The indifferent fatherThe father doesn´t worry about the sport practice of his children. He just enrolls

them on a sports club or they buy them a bike or a pair of skates. His aim is to get more free time for himself.

•  The over-protective father•  He forbids his children the practice of any kind of physical activity because they

can be hurt. They prefer that his children play computer games at home rather than play in a court. In a sense, the children can´t play or establish social relationships in group.

The sports father:

• He has in mind the sports interests of his children.

• He knows the difference between dangerousness and over protection.

• He practices whenever he can, a physical activity with them.

• He respects referees and trainers´ decisions.

• He makes his child see that the final goal of sport is its socializing aspect.

• He teaches how to win in a humble way.

• He teaches how to lose.• He fosters the non violence.

CONCLUSIONS

•As you can see, the facts of sport and the physical activity is more complex than we can see in the Physical Education class.

•It´s a social phenomenon difficult to understand and that moves a lot of money every year.

•It has become one of the most important businesses nowadays.

Thank you for your attention…P.E. Class.