Social Issues in Sport Paper Example

The barriers from a conflict theorist position to the most daunting obstacles a youngster from the lowest economic class faces and the effect of those barriers. Whoever should lead in the implementation of the suggested strategies and the source for the financial resources needed?

The United States is a capitalist society, where one's wealth and income determine economic power. The individuals in the upper classes of economic power have a significant influence on the society and the different levels of competition within the community, including the sports competitions. People from the lower economic classes are therefore discriminated and demoralized when it comes to the different levels of competition, particularly in the sports sector. Their dreams to excel and to achieve absolute success in sports are met with various odds and barriers. They are more often forced to leave their aspirations and to pave the way for their wealthier counterparts not because they want to but just because they have to (Grusky, 2018). Such individuals from the lower economic barriers encounter the barriers even when they try to sport for recreational purposes.

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A youngster from the lowest economic class may encounter most daunting barriers in sports. The lack of the adult role models may be the significant barrier, which may affect how the individual youngsters perceive the different sports and how they perform in it in case they would get a chance. The other obstacle is the financial constraints, given the fact that most sports have proved to be expensive, the cost ranging from the purchase of the sports all through to the subscription for the sport itself. The financial barrier is therefore likely to jeopardize the youngster's ability to compete with the other youngsters from the upper economic class, who have access to different financial opportunities. Parental involvement and emotional support is the other barrier which such individuals may face. The poor parents are not; likely to be involved in the sports given the high cost which can only be afforded by the upper economic class parents. The social stratification which highly manifests in the United States makes such parents keep in their classes without mingling with their affluent counterparts. The youngsters may, therefore, lack the psyche to compete with those from the different class (Woods, 2015).

Several strategies should be put in place to address the various barriers. People from the lower economic class should be encouraged to participate in sports. That would ensure that role models are availed for the youngsters. The other strategy is the provision of financial incentives to the youngsters from the poor background to facilitate their participation in different sports. The issue of social stratification as a whole should be eradicated in the US to advocate for equality among the various individuals. The country should emulate the teachings of Jesus Christ in the biblical book of Ephesians chapter two verse four, where we are told that Jesus had destroyed the barriers and the dividing walls (Nelson, 2016). The US government should be the lead agent in the implementation of these strategies, sparing some revenue for the actual implementation of the strategy.

Should your tax dollars be used to build sports arenas? Should we provide tax incentives for sports organizations but not for the other private business?

Tax dollars should be used in the building of sports arenas. The American's love for watching sports in their home arena, calls for the need to make arena available. Making arenas by using the taxpayers' dollars would be a great investment, given the fact that more revenue is likely to be fetched from the arena (Anderson & Dees, 2017). The government can, therefore, choose to invest the taxpayers' money in capturing much revenue for the state. New jobs are likely to emerge from during the construction as well as the operation of the sports arena. While having the taxpayers in mind, the legislature should not fail to use the taxpayer's money in the construction of the arenas which would as well be beneficial to the individual taxpayers. Making a sports arena available in a state reduces the cost which would have been used by the citizens in watching the sports elsewhere. The taxpayers' money used for such developmental purposes is therefore worthy. Instead of mismanaging the taxpayers' dollar, therefore, investing in the sports arena or even stadiums would of great importance not only to the taxpayer but to the United States as a whole.

Tax incentives should be provided for sports organizations, to ensure that the sports sector gets the required support to aid in the betterment of its facilities services. Offering tax incentives for the sports organizations would lead to a subsidized uniform cost to the players as well as the subsidized subscription fees. The entrance fee for those who would want to watch the different games within that arena shall also be reduced. However, it would not be advisable to provide an incentive for the sports organizations at the expense of other private business. If at all the sports organizations are to be given some form of incentives then the private businesses should be provided as well. This is because the total revenue generated from the sports merely surpasses the tax collected from private businesses (Anderson & Dees, 2017). If the government or any other body may want to provide an incentive or any other form of support, then both the sports organization and the private businesses should be accorded support. For it is said in the biblical book of second Corinthians chapter eight verse thirteen that none should be burdened while the other is reasoned but all should be treated with fairness(Nelson, 2016)

Should the government use sport as a diplomatic tool to promote American Ideology?

Sport is the best diplomatic tool that can be used by the US government to promote American ideology. Different sports have been used in various places to promote peace and to bring about an understanding between the two opposing parties. The Sino American relations which were strengthened in the 1970s was as a result of the famous ping pong sport (Kidd, 2013). In recent years, sporting has been used as a means of promoting different ideologies, in the year 2004 for example; the Indian cricket team had traveled to Pakistan, a move which later paved the way for various dialogues between the two countries. The United States can promote liberalism by using sports as a tool.

Sports such as ping pong can be used by the United States to promote unity and in the fight against class stratification. The American dream of uniting all the Americans can be achieved by arranging different sports. The diversity of culture and language would be brought together thereby making sports a unifying factor. Issues such as racism shall, therefore, be addressed and the Americans shall, thus, become one people. The social, political and economic gaps in the United States are therefore likely to be bridged through sporting. The sport has proved to be an essential element not only to the citizens but also to the government. The national identity, as well as international relations, can be enhanced through sports. The different forms of discrimination within the United States can be eradicated through cohesion and creating a sense of oneness. Such cohesion can quickly be brought about by organizing the different sports activities. Whether amateur or professionally coordinated sports events are made, different people from the different walks would be brought together (Murray, 2013). Such events would, therefore, lead to the building some bond of closeness. The biblical book of Hebrews chapter ten verses twenty-four to verse twenty-five states that a people that come together have a habit of encouraging one another and they spur through love and good deeds (Nelson, 2016). In the same way, bringing Americans together through sports shall have a positive impact on individual citizens.

What effect would be promoting gender fairness and equality in the sport have upon our societal views toward women?

Gender mainstreaming in policy concerning sports needs to be addressed. Women have been discriminated when it comes to having access to and the practice of both professional as well as the amateur games. The persistent stereotyping and the; lack of back up for the different women who have shown interest in the various sports has been a significant setback and hindrance for women in the sports sector. The society has branded a given tag for women leading to persistent discrimination. There have been fewer media coverage of women in sports, while at the same time allowing minimum allocation of financial incentives to sportswomen as opposed to their male counterparts. Given the fact that sports are beneficial to all, and that it improves health, everyone regardless of their gender, should be allowed to participate in sports (Simon, 2018).

The societal view of women shall change to a great extent if gender equality and fairness are observed in sports. The women shall be seen as abled and different sporting activities would no longer be associated with masculinity. Women would be accorded the chance to represent sportsmen and women in the different levels of sports organizations. The number of women participating in the top level sports such as the Olympics shall be raised since the ability of women shall be appreciated. The pay and bonuses of the different sports women shall rise as they shall be paid on merit as opposed to the discriminative mode which has been based on gender (Cahn, 2015).

The society shall accept and improver women's access to sporting activities. The teachers' attitude toward girls ability in sports shall change to the positive, thereby boosting the confidence of young women in sports. Moreover, enhancing gender equality in sports shall broaden the women roles in society. The society may view women as individuals with capabilities of being great leaders and informed decision makers. The women shall, therefore, prove the scriptural writing in the book of Philippians chapter four verse thirteen, stating that one can do all things through Christ who strengthens (Nelson, 2016).

References

Anderson, B. B., & Dees, J. G. (2017). Sector-bending: Blurring the lines between non-profit and for-profit. In search of the nonprofit sector (pp. 65-86). Routledge.

Cahn, S. K. (2015). Coming on strong: Gender and sexuality in women's sport. University of Illinois Press.Grusky, D. B. (2018). Social stratification: Class, race, and gender in a sociological perspective. Routledge.

Kidd, B. (2013). A new social movement: Sport for development and peace. In Sport and Foreign Policy in a Globalizing World (pp. 36-46). Routledge.

Murray, S. (2013). Moving beyond the ping-pong table: sports diplomacy in the modern diplomatic environment. Public Diplomacy Magazine, 9, 11-16.

Nelson, T. (2016). Holy Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Simon, R. L. (2018). Fair play: The ethics of sport. Routledge.

Woods, R. (2015). Social issues in sport. Human Kinetics.