"Sport as a Microcosm" Social Perspective Paper Example

Which social theory perspective intrigues you the most?

The social identity theory is the social perspective theory that really intrigues me is the idea of unity within the social identity theory. This is because, in any sporting activity or any particular teamwork, the success of the team is determined by the level of unity which is encountered

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What sports phenomena can you identify that is interesting from this perspective?

The main sports phenomenon and a positive phenomenon at the same time is the success experienced due to the collaborative work brought about the perspective of social identity. As a Liverpool football club fan, the motto is "You Will Never Walk Alone" so I celebrate with the clubs and suffer from the club's loss. The desire to be associated with the winning team is what drives me to appreciate the social identity theory. I love watching football and Liverpool is my favorite team. I wear their replica jersey on their match day and celebrate if they win. Their defeat alone can make depress me. I think I am not only a loyal fan but a Liverpool cult member.

Do you have other examples of the "sport as a microcosm" perspective? What can sport learn from how the issue is dealt with in the 'real-world', or vise versa?

Sports sociology is one of the main microcosms of sports. As a fan, we consider sport as a social thing and the concept of sport is that sportsmanship as a moral category with ethos. Therefore, fair play is one of the main ways to show respect for the game.

In discussing social identity theory, you learned about BIRGing and CORFing. Do you do this? Do you say "WE" when discussing your favorite team? Are you more likely to wear team apparel after a win? Had you ever noticed this before?

Social identity theory is known as social psychology explaining the study of the interplay between personal and social identities. The main aim of social identity is to specify and also to predict the conditions under which the individuals think of themselves as a person and generally as a group. I love calling myself a member of Liverpool football clubs. Therefore, we are "The Liverpool Football Club Supporters" who wear the clubs replica jersey on every match day. The theory was mainly developed to explain different person creates and define their places within society. According to the social identity theory, there is a significant psychological process that is central in regards to this and they include social categorization, social, and social identification (Raoult, et al, 2016).

BIRGing is a very common practice between individuals of various and I have continuously noticed it happening amongst people and even myself. It is described as a self-serving cognition where an individual is mainly interested in successful people within the group for their own self-gain (Lim, 2016). I tend to oppose this at all cost to ensure that I majorly use the term WE in favor of the group as this will ensure unity and thus results in the success of the group. Based on the social identity theory thee two groups of people are viewed to have self-interest and esteem within the group and in any case, they exist within the group they can lead to a great failure.

References

Lim, J. (2016). The Relationship among Leisure Perception Attitude, Leisure Flow and Leisure benefit of Leisure Sports Participant of the age. Journal Of The Korean Society For Wellness, 11(1), 13. DOI: 10.21097/ksw.2016.02.11.1.13

Raoult, R., Adjizian, J., Auger, D., & Royer, C. (2016). Sporting and leisure activities among adolescents: A case study of the spatial planning of the proximity of leisure and sports facilities in rural and suburban territories in Quebec. LoisirEtSociete / Society And Leisure, 39(1), 31-45. DOI: 10.1080/07053436.2016.1151224