Week 2: Capitalism, Social Stratification, and Class

What does is mean that sports is believed to be a meritocracy?

- Winners are those who are dedicated, sacrifice, and make a concerted effort

- People's rank in sports is due to advancements/ability

What is social stratification?

the way in which society is organized into layers or into a hierarchy based on wealth, power, and status

- It is a system whereby some members of a society are ranked higher or lower relative to other members

What is social class?

a division of a society based on social and economic status, which indicates one's relationship to the production of economic goods and rewards

- its influences our life chances, opportunities, and experiences

What is Socio-economic status (SES)?

Your social position relative to others based on income, education and occupation

What is social inequality in Canada?

- Class inequality is embedded in Canadian society and Canadian institutions

- Canada ranks as one of the world's most prosperous countries, but people don't share the prosperity equally

What is Inequality of Wealth?

Some people have greater and fewer liabilities (bank loans, mortgages, car payments)

What is the Inequality of Income?

How unevenly income is distributed across a population

Why does social class infleunce sports?

Social class and class relations influence who plays, who watches, who consumes information about sports, and the information that is available

- Those with high income, high education levels, high status jobs most likely to participate

Upper class

Sports as part of their lifestyle

More control over work

Middle and working class

• Free sports or sports through school

• Financial sacrifices for sports

Lower class

• Participation in sport is limited if at all

• Fewer resources

Sport Participation and Disabilities

• Social class has a major impact on people with a disability

• They often have issues with resources:

•equipment cost, travel costs, league/facility availability

Global Inequalities and Sport

• The average Canada has almost $100/day to live; in 39 low income nations, people have 58 cents/day to live

•Nearly 50% of the world's population live on less than $2/day

• Some people make less than $1/hour producing equipment used by most Canadians who play sports

Public Money and Private Profits

• Sports are sites for transferring tax money to wealthy individuals and private corporations in Canada by:

• Providing 'national unity' subsidies

•Hosting major sports events

•Granting various tax deductions

Career Opportunities and Sport

•Career opportunities are limited and, for athletes, they are short term

•Opportunities for women are growing but remain limited •Opportunities for racialized athletes are growing but remain limited

Power in sport is

• In the hands of media and sport organizations

• In the hands of those who control those organizations

• Those in power are rich white men

• Athletes have little to no power

The Exploitation of Athletes

Often talking about exploitation in sport is seen as odd

Exploitation in sports means

• Athlete's skills and bodies are used to financially benefit others

• Coaches, organizations, schools, leagues financially benefit from the talent and hard work of athletes

Student-Athlete

- The term was coined in order to avoid classifying college athletes as employees

-Athletes are students participating in a non-commercial education endeavour

- Ambiguous term that points to amateruism and scholarship over athletics

- They are high-performance athletes, it means that they can be forgiven for not meeting the academic standards • They are students meant they did not have to be compensated, ever, for anything more than the cost of their studies

- Athlete labour is dressed up as sport

- Universities derive enormous revenue from college athletics, particularly football

What does it mean to be a student-athlete?

- 4o hours per week of athletic obligations

- classes and majors that are perceived as easy or fit the schedule

- their work is difficult, and intellectual engagement is difficult

What is NIL?

any activity undertaken by a student-athlete where their name, image, likeness and/or status as a student-athlete is utilized for a commercial purpose.

What is the new plantation?

- College football has been referred to as the new plantation

- not equal across demographics

- across the NCAA, players are predominantly Black, while those who benefit from their labour are predominantly white

- Black athletes and their bodies are exploited, their bodies are treated as a commodity, and they do not economically benefit