Sociology
Observation Assignment
Angie Poirier – 3263440
RSS 2023 – Introduction to Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity
November 8, 2010
Introduction
Sports are cultural practices that differ from place to place and time to time. How they are defined, organized, and integrated into social life varies from group to group. To understand sports we must view them as social phenomena (Coakley & Donnelly, 2004). Viewing sports as a social phenomena means that one must realize that are many topics to be questioned and viewed upon with an open mind.
For my observation I attended a hockey game in my hometown of Summerside, Prince Edward Island on September twelfth. It was between the Summerside Western Capitals and the Dieppe Commandos in the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL). While watching this game, I focused on not only the game being played, but also the entire surroundings in the atmosphere. I observed the event with a critical perspective and by doing so I realized that sporting events are not just games; they are social phenomenons with many sociological issues.
Who Was Involved There were many people involved in this Sunday afternoon hockey game. There were coaches, athletes, referees, volunteers, arena staff and fans. The coaches, as well as the trainers for both teams were all male. Their roles were to provide guidance, lead their players and offer support to the team from behind the bench. They are responsible for the well being of the team and for bringing out the best in the players. Their roles are crucial. All of the athletes were young men ranging in ages of sixteen to twenty years old. They were all there playing because they chose to be; they tried out for this elite team and wanted to be there because of their passion for the game, and it showed. The role of the athlete is a simple one; it is to deliver. They are expected to give their best performance each and every game. Both teams on the ice played a very hard fought game.
Angie Poirier – 3263440
RSS 2023 – Introduction to Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity
November 8, 2010
Introduction
Sports are cultural practices that differ from place to place and time to time. How they are defined, organized, and integrated into social life varies from group to group. To understand sports we must view them as social phenomena (Coakley & Donnelly, 2004). Viewing sports as a social phenomena means that one must realize that are many topics to be questioned and viewed upon with an open mind.
For my observation I attended a hockey game in my hometown of Summerside, Prince Edward Island on September twelfth. It was between the Summerside Western Capitals and the Dieppe Commandos in the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL). While watching this game, I focused on not only the game being played, but also the entire surroundings in the atmosphere. I observed the event with a critical perspective and by doing so I realized that sporting events are not just games; they are social phenomenons with many sociological issues.
Who Was Involved There were many people involved in this Sunday afternoon hockey game. There were coaches, athletes, referees, volunteers, arena staff and fans. The coaches, as well as the trainers for both teams were all male. Their roles were to provide guidance, lead their players and offer support to the team from behind the bench. They are responsible for the well being of the team and for bringing out the best in the players. Their roles are crucial. All of the athletes were young men ranging in ages of sixteen to twenty years old. They were all there playing because they chose to be; they tried out for this elite team and wanted to be there because of their passion for the game, and it showed. The role of the athlete is a simple one; it is to deliver. They are expected to give their best performance each and every game. Both teams on the ice played a very hard fought game.
References: Coakley, J., & Donnelly, P. (2004). Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Niu, Z. (2006). Study on the Side-effects of the Commercialization on Competitive Sports and the Strategy to Deal with Them November 5, 2010 from http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/47/42/44896326.pdf Grant Assignment