Sports in Society Issues and Controversies

Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies Chapter 16 Sports and the Future: What Can We Expect? Thinking About the Future Remember Sports are contested activities Therefore, sports can be changed, revised, invented Sport forms in the future will be based on the collective decisions and actions of human beings Future Trends in Sports Power and performance sports will remain dominant, but questions will be raised about  The use of technology to push human limits  Fairness and the use of biotechnology  Injuries, ethics, and access to training and participation The Growth of Pleasure & Participation Sports Factors producing growth in these sports will be:  Concerns about health and fitness  Participation preferences among older people  Values brought to sports by women  Groups seeking alternative sports Specific Forecasts: Professional Sports  They will become increasingly global  New sports and leagues will be developed and marketed, but most will fail  New stadiums will be built as “sport malls” where consumption prevails over sports  Top professional athletes will be global celebrities  Pro athletes will gain autonomy and power, but they will use it primarily to enhance their careers and income Specific Forecasts: Intercollegiate Sports Gender equity will remain a contentious issue in many athletic departments Varsity sports will be cut as revenue producing sports are emphasized Academic accountability will continue to be a problem Athletes rights will become a more contested issue Specific Forecasts: High School Sports Big time sport models will continue to be used in many schools Schools and sport programs will seek corporate sponsorships As budgets become tighter, nonrevenue producing varsity sports will be cut Specific Forecasts: Youth Sports  Increasing privatization of programs  Access will be highest in middle and upper income communities & neighborhoods  Coaching education & certification programs will become more popular as parents demand excellence and accountability  Skills development will be emphasized more than recreation  Many youths will reject highly structured programs and seek alternative sports Specific Forecasts: Spectators & Spectator Sports  The rate of watching sports will increase  People will watch a wider range of sports on cable stations  The internet will gradually become the key source for spectator consumption of sports  The internet will be used to create new spectator experiences and new ways of connecting with athletes  The internet will facilitate this  Gambling among spectators will increase Specific Forecasts: Technology  The use of new, high tech, performance-enhancing equipment will raise issues about “limits” in sports when technology increases risks and injuries  Some new technologies will enhance safety, diversify experiences, and encourage participation in certain sports  Bio-technology, genetic engineering, and surveillance technologies will create the most contentious issues in sports  We will be forced to rethink ethical issues and the meaning of sport performance. Specific Forecasts: Electronic Media  TV & the Internet will provide the images & narratives that will frame how sports are imagined, created, & played in many societies  The media will be sites where corporations and sports merge interests  The interests of corporations will usually prevail in these mergers  Video and virtual games will enable spectators to simulate sport experiences and create new “sport” challenges Specific Forecasts: Commercialism & Consumerism  Entertainment and consumption will be the major organizing principles in sports  The quest for profits and economic expansion will influence the meaning and organization of sports  Major corporations will own more sport teams, facilities, and events  Sport science will be used as much for marketing as for other purposes  People will use more and more “nutritional supplements” to enhance their performances Specific Forecasts: Gender Equity & Ethnic Diversity  Struggles over gender equity will continue, and grow especially in developing nations  A major challenge will be how to handle increasing ethnic diversity caused by increased global labor migration  Issue: facilitating social inclusion in community and school programs  Issue: roster limits based on citizenship  Issue: labor rights for global athletes  Issue: global bidding wars for pro athletes Prerequisites For Making Changes Visions of what sports and social life could and should be like  Willingness to work hard to put visions into actions  Political abilities to rally the resources needed to produce results