Application of Sociology of Sport to a Skiing - Book Report/Review Example

Application of Sociology of Sport to a Skiing Book Introduction to sports and skiing Sports may be defined as a structured and alized competitive activity that requires the use of some type of complex skills and also leads to physical exertion. Play differs significantly from sport because the latter involves certain external or intrinsic goals that come from completing competitions. Sport is also different because elements of professionalism are involved; most competitors must work on perfecting their skills in order to compete effectively. Skiing can be understood as a sporting activity in which people use runners to glide over snow. The runners are called skis and are normally long and narrowly-shaped; they are bound to the feet through one’s shoes. The sport is quite popular, and has a number of events held during its competitions. The Winter Olympics is particularly keen on the game and even has a Paralympics version. Several parts of the world now have skiing competitions with places like Alaska widely known for the same. The sport has become more popular due to the creation of snow machines, which provide adequate snow needed for competitions when the weather is insufficient. It is worth noting that some studies have shown that skiing is one of the most dangerous sports especially when done by inexperienced individuals. A number of skiers, both new and older ones, have reported injuries on the head and knees. This can sometimes occur even though the concerned individuals are wearing protecting gear like helmets. Mountain skiing is especially risky because it is sometimes done in isolation and must involve a lot of astuteness on the part of those involved. Book summary “The Edge of Never” is a story about the experiences of skiers in the wild and risky environment of the Ski Mountains. Its author happens to be a filmmaker as well as a pro skier who is in search of the next big documentary. He contacts celebrity big wigs in the sport – Mike Hattrup and Glen Plake – to inform them about his new idea. Bill Kerig wants to make a movie about extreme skiing and the tribe culture that pervades the industry. However, his colleagues are less than enthusiastic about it because they think that it will cost a lot of money and will be removed from the true reality of the sport (Kerig, 2008). When Plake mentions the fact that the chosen location for the new film – Alaska – is not where real skiing takes place, an excellent idea is born. He believes that true mountain skiers can only be found in Chamonix, France, which many call the death sport capital of the globe. Thereafter, the group discusses the importance of involving rising stars in the motion picture. It is after these two comments that a bulb lights up in the author’s head. He thinks of Kye Peterson who happens to be an upcoming skier and son of the legendary skier Trevor Peterson (Kerig, 2008). The novel then delves into a lot of historical information about the former skier. Peterson dies in 1996 at Chamonix where his body was found on top of an avalanche sitting up. The sportsman has won several awards and appeared in a series of films and publications in his prime. It was therefore a fateful event that his son was soon going to join him in the same treacherous paths of the Chamonix. Author Kerig hopes to take Kye through the same journey that his father underwent in order to cause him to reconcile with these demons. The film would be a documentation of the orientation and coming of age of Kye under the guidance of reverends in the sport. If he successfully conquers the dangerous mountains, he would be initiated into the tribe of mountaineers (Kerig, 2008). The story is both thrilling and scary because Kye Trevor is in danger of reliving the same dangers that his father encountered albeit at the tender age of 15. The fact that his father, who was an experienced and critically acclaimed skier, died at the same location indicates that no one is immune from the risk. However, the guidance and protection of the older sportsmen shows the degree of brotherhood and team spirit that pervades this sport. The coaches are both attentive and mature; they look at every detail in order to ascertain that they miss nothing and do not place the young learner at risk. One would imagine that youth and enthusiasm go hand in hand in this sport, but this assumption is immediately proved wrong when the teenager’s zest is slowly toned down by the atrociousness of the snowy mountains (Kerig, 2008). Sociology of sports Sociology is the study of human behavior in society and since sport is itself a social element, then it makes sense to study it from this perspective. Sport has implications on the culture within society because it facilitates continuity and gives a community certain distinctive characteristics. Sports allegiances held during childhood are often carried forward into adulthood and become a source of continuity. Furthermore, many regard it as a means of escape from the monotony and seriousness of life. Sport can also be understood as a social institution where society relies on certain rules and beliefs in order to meet its needs. Conventional social institutions include the family, education, politics and the economy, but modern understandings of the term now consider sports, the media and technology as social institutions. When perceived in this light, then a functional perspective would interpret the family as a social institution because it provides the means with which to transmit cultural expectations of the family and also replaces society’s members (Delaney & Madigan, 2009). On the other hand, a functional theorist may look at another institution like the government and state that it is a means of maintaining social order. Conflict theorists would have a different stake on the role of the government as a social institution. They would state that the government exists in order to maintain control among the elite and keep power in their hands. Conversely, interactionists would look at social institutions as mechanisms for influencing human behavior and defining the status or role ascribed to individuals. If these perspectives are combined, sports may be interpreted as some sort of secular and religious institution. It plays this role by preserving and reinforcing certain norms and values held by members of society. Sport is partly religious because it mimics what religious institutions do; gathering community members together and uniting them under certain sets of beliefs. Sports can be a critical area for sociological study because it illuminates the roles, structures and norms that cause cohesion within prevailing systems. Sports activities often involve regulation and formalization processes, which are symptomatic of many sociological aspects. They involve the training of culture and act as an avenue for justifying certain ideologies. Five primary characteristics can be used to delineate sports as a sociological institution. The first is as a ranking system or a means of stratifying people. All sociological institutions have some sort of hierarchy in which positions are defined and certain values ascribed to them. Likewise in sport, some individuals may hold more senior positions in the team than others. Even non participants such as managers and coaches are all stratified (Delaney & Madigan, 2009). Second, social institutions possess statuses and roles. Every individual in a sport is expected to play a particular role, and it is this role that determines the extent to which those players will perform. For instance a star player is under extreme pressure to achieve while substitute players do not have to deliver. Furthermore, the head coach must answer certain questions that assistant coaches are not expected to answer. Social control is one of the characteristics that have received the most attention from sociologists when analyzing many institutions. In order to maintain conformance, societies usually rely on social control, and may reward or punish depending on one’s degree of adherence or deviance to the rules. Sports has all manner of rules designed to instate social control. Athletes who do not abide by those rules in the field may get punished temporarily or permanently. Outside the field, certain norms must also be followed; excessive drinking or tardiness is frowned upon and could cause minor repercussions for the same. Finally, social institutions have rules, which differ from social control because they are the tools used to cause conformance. It is illegal to use drugs or other performance-enhancing drugs prior to involvement in sport. Several sports have governing bodies that revise and ensure conformance to written rules. Failure to comply could result in manifestation of certain outcomes. However, these rules are not just formal; some teams have certain informal norms that may cause discomfort for those who break them. These outcomes can be trivial such as paying a small fine for scoring their own goals or even snatching another person’s girlfriend. Skiing and the sociology of sport Interactionism in sociology would regard sport as a means of controlling human behavior. In skiing, years of history are captured in one single skiing experience. People in areas that value the sport tend to gather together and experience culture together (Delaney & Madigan, 2009). Furthermore, professional skiers often form subcultures that are characterized by strong brotherhood. Members of a group usually learn from each other, support and protect each other. The sport often creates a culture of fun and adventure and some mountain skiers often think of themselves as daredevils. In skiing, aspects of class and control are also evident; it is a fact that financial discretion makes the activity exclusive. While some middle-income groups may also participate, most wealthy people can afford more classes and thus become more professional than the other groups. Even ski resorts exist for this very purpose; they are designed to suite only certain members. Therefore, social control theories would hold that the elite use their financial muscle to model exclusivity in sport and thus preserve their superiority (Delaney & Madigan, 2009). Relation of the book to the sociology of sport As mentioned in the earlier portions of the paper, sport may sometimes be regarded as a functional social institution because it transmits certain norms and values that make society what it is. Stoddart (2012) explains that skiing was seen as a highly authentic activity in the past. It was introduced in North America by the Norwegians in order to cope with modernity. Many think of it as a way of building character, morality and even one’s well being. When one engages in the more traditional cross-country ski, one is likely to be at one with nature. This builds an authentic engagement with the hills and other parts of the surrounding. However, the author believes that part of its authenticity is lost when people focus on skiing competitions which emphasize short distances and excessive jumping. The more valuable things such as morality may as well be lost. In the book, it appears as though the author wanted to capture the authentic aspect of skiing. It is for this reason that he dwelt on a treacherous path in which the soul with the greatest resolve is the one that comes out intact. The author appreciates the fact that certain qualities like endurance are paramount in life and these have been discussed in the book. The young Peterson needed to go through the toughest challenge in his life in order to come out as an expert. All the skiers who went to the mountain found some escape from the demands of modernity. One of the guides, Blake, had injured his leg at the beginning of the book and even swore to never return to the mountains when he recovered. However, no one appears to be able to resist the lure of the mountains. It seems the authenticity, wildness and freedom found in that environment could not be replicated anywhere and thus caused him to go back (Kerig, 2008). In sports as a social institution, social dynamics, roles and values are often replicated and fostered. Notions of gender, race and class are quite predominant in these spheres. It can be argued that the perspective portrayed in the book is one of white culture. The aggressive male-oriented risk-taking nature is the only viewpoint examined in this book. This implies that even though women take part in the sport, their experiences do not hold as much value as men’s experiences. Harrison (2013) does a good job of illuminating the racial spatiality of skiing in his journal article. The latter author states that several African Americans have made huge strides in the sports industry. They have broken barriers that initially prevented them from participating in these activities. Typical examples include The Williams sisters in tennis and Tiger Woods in golf. These achievements ought to be celebrated, but actually illuminate the fact that several other sporting fields are closed to black people. The author described downhill skiing as the least integrated sports in the United States. The white image carried forward in skiing is actually favorable for business because most fans and participants want to recapture notions of the society that were symptomatic of historical times. The sport has thus preserved social segregation and stratification by being exclusionary in nature. None of the characters in the novel belong to another race. The story is riveting but it does not mirror the diversity and richness of race and color that is true in modern society today. How power is perpetuated in society can also be properly understood through the book. Conflict theory states that the elite have found ways of keeping power in their hands by perpetuating a vicious cycle. In the book, the master skiers needed to have money in order to move from Alaska, Canada to France and other parts of the world. Skiing may thus be perceived as a cultural and economic activity that is only accessible to people who already have capital (Stoddart, 2012). Power thus resides in their hands because they get to enjoy power and prestige in a manner that only their money can allow them to. Conclusion Skiing has different objectives and dimensions, but the one captured in the book appears to explain and define the complexities of extreme mountain skiing. The characters in the book reveal certain values and morals that society holds dear such as endurance and character. However, a holistic analysis of the book also shows that skiing and other sports can be mechanisms of social stratification. They reproduce the social dynamics that keep the elite in power. Economically-empowered individuals are the only one who can participate in this winter sport. Likewise, the book has ignored perspectives from racial minorities as well as women and thus replicated gendered and racial norms. References Delaney, T., & Madigan, T. (2009). The sociology of sport: An introduction. NY: McFarland. Harrison, A. (2013). Black skiing, everyday racism and the racial spatiality of whiteness. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 37(4), 315-339. Kerig, W. (2008). The edge of never: A skier’s story of life, death and dreams in the world’s most dangerous mountains. Milford, NJ: Stone Creek Publications. Stoddart, M. (2012). Making meaning out of mountains: The political ecology of skiing. University of British Columbia: UBC Press. Read More