Sociology of Sport - Research Paper Example

Sociology of Sports The of sports has assumed an indelible place in contemporary Western society. The industry, through professional outlets such as the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, generates billions of dollars of annual revenue and has drawn millions of fans. While nearly all members of society are a fan of a sports team or have a close friend or family member who is, a great amount less have considered the underlining reasons for their fandom or the sociological aspects of the specific sport they are watching.

This research is an observational study of a local basketball game that implements a sociological lens of analysis. The setting of the situation was a high school gymnasium. The key elements of space and environment can be the consideration of the divisions between the fans and team. The game itself occurred on the basketball court in the middle of the gymnasium; fans of the home team sat on one side of the gym and fan of the opposing team sat on another side. Additionally, the teams were removed from the fans through a bench that was set aside.

The divisions automatically created the structure of competition with one group of fans facing off against another in rooting for their team. The demographic makeup of the crowd was divided between older individuals that appeared to be parents or family members of the players, young people who were students that perhaps attended the high school, and then seniors who appeared to be members of the community that were attending simply out of recreation. In terms of socioeconomic status it appeared that most individuals were middle-upper class.

The players, while members of the community, veered in terms of ethnicity with a high amount of African Americans represented on the teams than in the audience. There were a number of other further considerations. The social behaviors were generally civil, however the grow became highly engaged in certain game situations. The crowd was largely divided by age with individuals of similar ages sitting together. Still, in terms of particular behavior there were groups of people of all ages who were more actively involved in the game through cheering and shouting.

There were limited dynamics of power, but conflict occurred in contained and civil ways between opposing fans. While there were divisions between the younger students attending, it seems that the older individuals had little social cliques. In terms of special language there were terms related to the game, such a three pointers, fouls, and free throws. In conclusion, this essay has recognized that many of the social forces that govern our lives were exemplified in this specific event. Macionis (2010) notes that Durkheim viewed social behavior as governed by collective conscious moral efforts.

It seems that the relatively civil behavior of the individuals, despite their competitive urges, conformed to these notions of behavior. Conversely, deviant behavior has been theorized as occurring by individuals exhibiting lack of social integration (Goode 2004). Within this environment deviant behavior would have been traversing lines of division – an opposing team’s fan sitting in the home section, or committing violence beyond general cheering. Ultimately, at this specific event all fans conformed to normal behavioral rules.

References Goode, E. (2004). Deviant Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Macionis, J. (2010). Sociology 7th Pearson Canada Inc.