Socioeconomic Levels and the Role it Plays in sports

             Status and specific socioeconomic levels influence the choice of sport in which people participate. Coakley and White support this notion as they suggest that, "Individual decisions to participate in physical activity are shaped by a complex dynamic, in which economic factors, class and gender, parental and peer influences, leadership, and location intersect" (1992). Therefore, it's logical to assume that people in upper and upper-middle classes may be inclined to participate in sports such as golf, tennis, and polo, then that of lower socioeconomic classes. Conversely, people in lower socioeconomic classes may be more likely to participate in team sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, and baseball.
             "Sports. . . help define moral and political community," noted MacClancy. He goes on to say, "Sport is not a 'reflection' of some postulated essence of society, but an integral part of society and one, moreover, which may be used as means of reflecting on society" (1996). From these statements, questions arise. Do lower socioeconomic classes emphasize sports as a "way out," as opposed to the upper class that might view sport as strictly recreation? Do these opinions on sport vary from class to class, and if they do, what kind of impact does it have on other aspects of society, such as family values, education, and self-concept.
             Theories such as symbolic interaction emphasize that learning and self-identity is brought on by various symbols people encounter through life. These symbols are things such as objects, colors, concepts, sounds, facial expressions, or body movements that stand for something beyond themselves. Therefore, the symbol is not dictated by its physical characteristics, but rather its meaning developed by the people who create and use it.
             For many youth, the recreation or neighbor center is a non-threatening, relatively unstructured pl...

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