Socioeconomic Relations in Sports (Research Paper Sample)

Outline
1. Introduction
2. Adult participation in sport activities
a. Low SES reduces adults’ rates of participation in sports
b. Adult participation determines a family’s sporting culture
c. Adult participation sets support structure for their children’s sports choices
3. Opportunities available to different SES groups
a. Community-based initiatives help low-SES individuals to access sports facilities
b. Access to sports facilities determines individuals’ willingness to continue participating in their chosen sports
c. Cost of participating in sports does not favor low-SES individuals
4. Connection between youth and adult sports participation
a. Adults follow the sporting culture they developed in their youth
b. Youths are likely to drop out of sports if not supported by friends and trainers
c. Schools provide students with equal access to sports facilities regardless of their SES
5. Conclusion

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Socioeconomic Relations in Sports
Sports are nothing but a leisure activity to some people but are a source of income for other members of the modern society. Regardless of such intentions, active participation in sports activities is one of the recommendations for living a healthy lifestyle and avoiding unnecessary interactions with the health care system. It is, therefore, rational to expect that people would engage in sports activities in equal measure in an effort to take advantage of the benefits of physical activity. The reality, however, is that some individuals are unable to participate in physical activities for a variety of reasons. Socioeconomic barriers are one example of the barriers that individuals have to deal with when attempting more proactive lifestyles. Individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES) are less likely to engage in sporting activities than their high-SES counterparts. In fact, these trends also traverse age groups and result in comparable participation rates in children as well. These socioeconomic barriers thereby have the potential to hinder entire families from participating in sports as well as enjoying the health benefits of engaging in physical activity.
Adult participation in sporting activities is a well-researched subject that has received a lot of attention from the scholarly community. Research indicates that in adults, low SES leads to reduced chances of participation in sports activities (White and McTeer 187). Individuals with low SES are, therefore, less likely to practice and perpetuate a family culture of engagement in sports activities than their counterparts with higher SES. As a result, the lack of an adult support structure for sports in low-SES families negatively affects the children's chances of engaging and actively participating in sporting activities (White and McTeer 205). In comparison, high SES families are more likely to have adults actively involved in sports and thus provide the necessary support for their children’s engagement in sports as well. Therefore, SES has a direct effect on the support that youth receive from their families when they choose to engage in sporting activities.
Other than the familial support of sporting activities, an individual’s SES affects the kind of opportunities that they can access as well. Many of our sporting activities require continuous practice, and this can be a problem for individuals with low SES. However, community-based initiatives such as youth recreation centers have proven themselves effective in assisting people with a low SES individuals to find inexpensive, convenient venues to practice in (White and McTeer 204). The availability of such facilities helps these people to maintain their interest and continue participating in their chosen sports. The cost of participating in some sporting events can also hinder individuals from low-SES backgrounds from engaging in those particular sports (White and McTeer 205). These costs in turn make such sporting environments unintentionally biased in favor of high-SES individuals. The cost factor of participating in sporting activities, therefore, does not support low-SES individuals and is a major determining factor in individuals’ willingness and ability to continue participating in the sports of their choice.
According to research, an individual’s level of participation in sports during their youth determines their sporting culture as adults (White and McTeer 205). Low-SES youth are more likely to drop out of sports, but they continue participating if their friends also join in and add to the support that they receive outside their family environment (White and McTeer 205). Schools attempt to provide support to all their students to ensure that...