Social Class in Sport - Notes

Social Class in Sport

Social Class in Sport Learning Outcomes:

• Socio Economic and Cultural Capital
• Varying Social Classes and Characteristics of Each
• The Access/Barriers Social Class plays on Sport
• Who Controls Amateur and Professional Sport
• The Opportunity for Social Mobility through Sport

Social Class and Capital

• Economic Capital
• Social Capital
• Cultural Capital

Social Class and Capital

• Economic Capital refers to financial resources a person has or controls.
• People inherit, earn, spend, and invest depending on their occupation and background.

Social Class and Capital

• Social Capital
• Includes family, friends, and associates and depends on group memberships, associations as well as social and business relationships.
• Examples:
  • Getting into the country club
  • Getting into a certain college/Fraternity

Social Class and Capital

• Cultural Capital
• The skills and abilities people gain from education and life experiences.
• Cultural capital may include attitudes, expectations, and self-confidence.
• Sport may allow a person to fit in a group, lead to a scholarship, and promote fitness and self-confidence.

Social Class and Choice of Sport

• Social Classes:
  • Upper 1%
  • Upper Middle
  • Middle
  • Lower
  • Impoverished

Average Family Income by Race (in 1,000's) - 2008 Census

• Data comparing Asian, White, Hispanic, and Black families.

Percentage Below Poverty Line

• Data comparing Black, Hispanic, Asian and White populations.

Olympic Sports Breakdown of Top Performing Athletes (Hemery, 1986)

• Poor: 2%
• Working Class: 26%
• Middle: 44%
• Upper Middle: 0%

Social Class and High-Performance Sport

• Costs associated with participation/training:
  • Travel
  • Coaching
  • Equipment Rental
• Question: How can the average family afford it? Is it worth the investment?

Social Class and High School Sports

• Middle and Working Class tend to gravitate toward Team Sports.
• Encouraged by parents and often seen as an additional opportunity towards a college scholarship.
• Kids are less encouraged to participate in low-income families often due to the need for them to contribute or assist with working and/or homecare, especially for young women.

Control of Amateur Sport in Social Class

Upper Mobility in Sports

• The Rocky Myth – Sports will lift you from Poverty
• While possible in limited cases, it's mostly a myth, as only 3% of College Athletes become Professionals, and 0.2% go from high school to pro.

Examples of Sports by Social Class:

• Dogfighting
• Horseback Riding Competition
• Rodeo
• Professional Wrestling?