Sport + Physical Activity

19th Century public schools – background info
In society – in Victorian Britain there was a shift from rural to urban society, which gradually became more civilised
Public baths built in cities to counter cholera, + working hours reduced for working class (so more free time)
RSPCA formed, hastening ban on cruel bating and blood sports eg dog fighting
Improved transport + communications meant that distant teams (eg football) could play each other
Increased literacy = people could read about successes + football became a massive spectator sport

Public Schools
Free time was largely unsupervised, allowing them to poach, trespass + gamble
Authorities disapproved because these had no moral value + brought the schools in to disrepute
Public schools – private, independent, fee paying school.
Gentry (upper class)
Highly prestigious (very sought after + respected)
The ‘elite’ of society
Key role in promoting + organising sport in UK
Boys attended these schools
Public schools under pressure to improve boys’ behaviour
Clarendon Commission report (1864) supported the teaching of games for their educational value

Their role in promoting and organising sports and games
Boys brought mob games from their villages
Mob games were violent + disorderly – usually played by working classes + had few fules
The Masters (teachers) saw potential of these games for channeling the boys’ energy + keeping them on the school grounds
They supported these games but only if they had rules + were organised
In early versions the boys organised the games themselves (good for organisational skills) Team lists were put on house boards daily
The 6th form organised the games for the younger years, causing a form of ‘social control’
Social control – process where society seeks to ensure conformity to the dominant norms + values of that society
In later years they recruited staff to teach + coach sports
‘Games cult’ became important + headmasters used sporting success to impress future parents
The ‘character building aspect’ to team games was seen as important – eg courage, leadership, endurance, self-reliance, self control

Athleticism
Physical effort + moral integrity / sportsmanship
Team games valued for character-building qualities
Became a cult / obsession
Games afternoons introduced, + inter-house + inter-school fixtures regularly played
Expensive specialist facilities built, eg sports fields + swimming pools
Sport occupied much of the boys’ free time in evenings + weekends
So where did they go after school….
Led to –
regular games
Boundaries + player numbers reduced
Equipment + facilities became more sophisticated
Positional roles emerging
Tactics + strategies began to be used
Competition structure devised through inter-house + later among schools
Codification – national rule structure
Conforming to rules, sportsmanship, fair play became important – playing honourably became more important than winning

Move from the amateur approach to professional approach
Traditionally sport in UK organised by volunteers, unpaid coaches + administrators
So amateur approach + lack of expertise = inconsistency + ineffectiveness
Recently, there is a shift towards more business-like approach
Support + interest from government increased towards end of 20th Century, especially since the 2012 bid
Government set up Department of Culture, Media + Sport. They appointed a Minister for Sport + give grants to UK Sport + home country Sports Councils.

Government wants international sporting success, so employed full-time, paid administrators in NGBs, especially well-funded sports like football, cricket + rugby
Performance is related to funding, filtering through UK Sport to NGBs + performers
Some NGBs now have performance directors, concentrating on excellence, world titles + gold medals
UK Sport is responsible for sporting excellence

Sport as a reflection of US culture
Sport in USA most technically advanced in world
Sports stars richest in world
American football + baseball – USA leading nation, maybe because not many others play them at a high level
USA sport is multi-million dollar industry, committed to entertainment market + motivated by profit

USA’s sport – 3 categories
Adaptations – modifications to existing games, eg American football to rugby
Adoptions – games taken directly from European cultures, eg tennis
Inventions – new sports to suit the ‘New World’ culture, eg basketball
USA needed sports which were high scoring + action packed

Population + geographical factors
Population of 300million, drawn from wide range of cultures (people arrived from several places, eg European Jews fleeing persecution, Irish escaping famine – all looking for the ‘land of opportunity’)
Capitalism developed from individuals’ farms + factories producing more than any other country, building wealth
In densely populated areas, NY + LA, urban sports developed, eg American football, baseball + basketball

Nature of sport in USA
Reflects US culture of win ethic
Mainstream competitive culture has acquired the term Lombardianism, after American football coach Vince Lombardi who said, “Winning isn’t everything – it’s the only thing.” Failure in sport is not an option
100% commitment needed – even when injured / drug use – win at all costs

Nature of sport in USA cont....
Sport is big business, driven by commercialism
Professional sport dominates, reflecting the country’s competitive, capitalist nature
Private + corporate businesses use sport to promote their products + achieve good will
Commercialism starts at high school – high profile, with large amounts of sponsorship
Huge crowds for high school sport, with marching bands, cheerleading etc
Athletic scholarships for college / university, where they receive top-level coaching + support with increased pressure to win
Massive media coverage – can hail young players as heros or villians
College sport commercialised, funded by sponsorship + TV deals
Best college athletes go into professional sport (called the pro-draft system), which is funded by TV + advertising.
American sporting culture demands high-scoring, action packed, short bursts of activity; followed by commercial breaks to keep TV sponsors happy.
Top professionals earn millions of dollars + more from advertising + sponsorship deals
http://www.t-mobilenba.com/

Positive and Negative Outcomes of Commercialism
Positives –
Funding vies athletes a better chance of success
Commercial sponsorship leads to events which otherwise might not happen
It matches the ‘win ethic’ of US culture
Negatives –
Performers become mobile adverts
Money determines the location, timings and nature of events + rules in some cases
Sporting Values can be lost
Only high profit sports and the most successful performers benefit
Enormous pressure to win

‘American Dream’
The ‘American Dream’ assumes that anyone can be a success in society, irrespective of class, age, gender, or ethnic background and sport is a particularly useful vehicle for success.
Through sport, stereotypical views can be defied, the restricting glass ceiling of opportunity can be smashed and role models for future generations can be created.
The dream of success – rags to riches / zero to hero!
Sport is a vehicle – a way to get an education, a way to become a professional

Compare American Football + Aussie Rules Football
American Football
Origins
Nature of the sport
Violence
Australian Rules Football
Origins
Factors shaping its development
Commercialism + impact of the media

Comparison

Sport and Politics – the ‘Shop Window’
‘Where sporting success equates with political success and positive role models promote the country’s status.’
Sport can be used for political motives with both good and bad outcomes.
In Communist countries sport is controlled by the State and encouraged in order to increase political prestige and morale among the workforce.
Russia used sport to promote their country and political system on the worldwide stage of the Olympic games.
Chosen athletes were given the best facilities, coaching, diet time to devote themselves to sport in order to achieve international success.
The drive for success and political superiority can be seen in China and other advanced eastern cultures today.