Sports Sociology - Essay Example

Sports Sociology Field of sports sociology creates an intellectual connection between sports and power relations and other social issues (Zirin). Even sports are being connected to the issues of race, gender and nationalization. Although sports are just superficially thought as a short term challenge given to achieve a target by using all the allowed possible tactics of the game but sports has serious interconnections with teamwork and handling with diversity and different cultural issues. Sports sociology makes these connections and makes the social theories and principles relevant to the sports so that public can get to know about deeper meanings of game and participate accordingly. In addition to physical fitness, there are lots of team spirit advantages of sports. The game I selected was basket ball as it is one of my favorite games and there are too many advantages of playing basket ball. It was an enjoyable as well as learning experience for me. It not only makes a player focused towards achieving a specific goal but also gives the strength to follow a leader and fight together for the common objectives. Field observations about Basket Ball Determination On the field I observed a lot of things that we cannot notice in our daily lives. Normally we do not get to know about our strengths and weaknesses until we actually face a practical experience of such sports. The field observation was a great learning experience because I learnt how to play this game competitively. Also I learnt about myself that when I get determined and want to do something, I can really achieve it. It is just the lack of determination that makes me unable to achieve my objectives and I perceive myself as incompetent. Basket ball gave me confidence in myself. I got to know that nothing is impossible and if I want to achieve something, nobody can stop me from that. This confidence instilled in me as the result of field experience because I had decided to learn from the field experience. Social Skills Another very important advantage of basket ball is achievement of social skills (Parsons). A player has to work with proper coordination with the team members and anything which creates lack of coordination results in a gain for the opponent team. This happened so many times when we as a team member were not aware of the whole game plan and we played just randomly. But that resulted in other team’s goal then our captain changed his strategy and communicated his plan to all of the team members. He is the kind of person who is a brilliant player but cannot communicate with team and avoids direct conversation of ideas to the team. At that time while playing, he realized that the other captain was continuously communicating about the plan to his team members and all the members performed accordingly. This was the moment he realized the importance of communication and social skills in this game. He took all the members on board and communicated his action plan which proved out to be very helpful for all of us. We got confidence from leader and we started working with proper coordination. I also did not know the importance of social skills and interpersonal skills. I always took it just as sports which we play to win or lose. But this time I effectively observed each and every element of the game and realized my weaknesses. Teamwork Another advantage I got from my field experience is that I got to know what the teamwork is. Teams are all about fighting and struggling for achieving a common goal (Parsons). I realized that team work is the only key which can help me excel in any field of life. I also got to know that working in a team does not always mean that I have to take certain initiative. If somebody has taken a good initiative already, it is my duty to let other accomplish that. Teamwork is all about achieving and letting others achieve their objectives. Whole team has to be supportive and encouraging to boost confidence. If a player’s opinions and ideas will not be given importance, it will lead to his de motivation and he will no longer give his input which will isolate him team. In such instances, a team member becomes separate and he no longer identifies his and team goals as common objectives. Also there is a need to capitalize on each player’s strengths and take steps to minimize his weaknesses. This can only be achieved through effective teamwork and teamwork can be instilled by playing basket ball as it gives practical experience of working as a team. Conflict Management It was a practical experience of conflict management too. At times the opinions of the team members conflicted with that of team leader. Rather than wasting time on proving one’s opinion right, these issues were solved with mutual collaboration and opinion’s of other members were welcomed. Problem solving in team was also enhanced by more participation by team members. Team members were from diverse background so it was a good practice of managing diversity. The whole game process gives a lot of opportunity to learn. Attaining challenging goals together with group members, ignoring the difference of races languages and backgrounds, and focusing on commonalities was the best lesson I learnt. Every stage of the game gives a new lesson to learn. Time management is also one of the best lessons learnt as there was a limited time to overcome the challenge. Stress management was also experienced there because it was a situation of stress for both the teams and the challenge was to manage the stress without affecting the game. When somebody is under stress in game, he is more likely to commit blunders. During these stressful times, the support of team and the team leader keeps the players motivated and energized. Playing basket ball gives a person control over his reflexes and not taking decision without thinking. In other words, smart decision making is inculcated as a result of this game. A leader has to work with the consensus of all the team members and this can only happen if a person is expert at timely and quick decision making. Basket ball improves the temperament of the player and helps in reflexive decision making. I came to know about all this after observing keenly the reaction of team members and leader. Sports play an important role in shaping the behavior of the society. They do not just guarantee the physical fitness and provide a constructive leisure time; rather they contribute a lot towards the learning of social attitude and changing a person’s lifestyle. They are perfect for giving a person a practical exposure of challenging tasks and test his attitude under stress. They help a player to improve his communication skills, tolerate the difference of opinions, manage the diversity and learn to work as a team. Nowadays, everyone is so busy in his corporate life that the importance of sports is ignored. However, such games like basket ball and cricket are able to attract a lot of young talent because of the Zeal and zest of the game. However, female athletes are not taken as seriously as the men (Zirin). The sports are stereotyped as a display of intense sexual appeal. There is a need to change this belief and there needs to be an equal treatment of male and female athletes Conclusion Basket ball is an interesting game which gives players opportunity to learn teamwork and coordination. The field of sports sociology is very important in studying human interactions and social behavior displayed in particular contexts. Basket ball is a very challenging and constructive game which helps players in learning teamwork and social communication. It gives them a chance to work for the same goals under a diverse team. Ignoring the racial and lingual backgrounds, it instills confidence in players and makes them competent enough which helps them excel in other fields of life. Steps should be taken at college and university level to encourage the participation from students. There should be a proper department handling the sports and organizing sports events. There should be incentives and encouragement given to players so that more and more youngsters join the healthy physical as well as social activity. The importance of sports sociology cannot be ignored as it helps incorporating those attitudes which help a person in corporate lives. Teamwork is a very important attribute of corporate life and those who are more into sports at young age are more aware of teamwork and more able to work in diverse teams. If a person is not patient enough to listen to others’ opinion, he incorporates this habit while playing basket ball because it requires lot of patience. Similarly, if a person is not social enough to communicate his ideas, he cannot be brilliant player of this game. So players learn to become communicative and interpersonal to ensure effective performance. Bibliography Parsons, B. (n.d.). 5 Advantages of playing Basket ball. Retrieved May 4, 2012, from http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/5-Benefits-of-Playing-Basketball/850561 Zirin, D. (n.d.). Calling Sports Sociology . Read More