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Section One: The Fundamentals
A) Keywords
Exercise 1:
Provide a brief definition of one of the padlet keywords for this week.
Equity is about fairness, although the term is often associated with equality the two are not the same. Equality is achieved when resources are distributed and opportunities are provided the same to everyone. Equity expands on this and instead distributes resources and provides opportunities according to the differing needs between individuals.
B) The Social Significance of Aging in Sport
Exercise 2: Notebook Prompt
How is old age popularly represented today? Find an image online that you think exemplifies one defining attitude towards old age and paste in your notebook below with a brief explanation of what this image means to you.
Old age is represented in the media as a loss of value and a decline in quality of life. Generally speaking old age describes people who are retired, and this image portrays the idea that old age means being confined to a couch, and presents drinking and smoking as ways to cope with old age.
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Exercise 3: Notebook Prompt
What does the article (referencing another study by Dionigi) mean by its statement that sport can help aging people to simultaneously “accept and resist the ageing process” (572)? Respond by audio or text and find paste two images sourced online into your notebook showing how sport might help aging people to both accept and resist the aging process.
| This quote illustrates the increasing importance of sports as one ages. Accepting the ageing process can be beneficial to one’s well-being, this acceptance can help an individual to cope with aging in a healthy manner. Acceptance of aging, to me, means embracing one’s age and living life to the fullest, with the knowledge that one’s abilities may be impacted by their age. Sports provide opportunities for making memories, building relationships and participation in fun activities. Sports promote physical activity, and in doing so they can improve a person’s health. This idea of better health from sports acts to combat the aging process, helping people to feel and look younger, longer. In the pictures below acceptance of aging can be seen in the demonstration of pride and happiness in the first photo and resistance of aging can connect to how the second photo shows that everyone can interact with sports in some form. Both images emphasize the social and physical benefits of sports.
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Exercise 4: Notebook Prompt
Who are the groups less likely to have extensive opportunities to take part in sports, according to Pike? How does privilege factor into aging and sport? (200 words max)
| According to Pike the elderly population is limited in sports opportunities. It is reported that the majority of people ranging from ages 65-74 struggle to meet the suggested amount of daily physical activity to promote health and well-being. People who are privileged often fit the societal norms describing the majority of a population, this privilege is seen in the representation of role-models that an individual can relate to. As athletes age they are generally faded out from sports representations or presented in the media at a younger age. Aging is often seen as a declining process especially in relation to one’s physical abilities. Sports cater to a young population, as age increases sports leagues decrease, even at the recreational level. Sports leagues often follow age guidelines ranging about two or three years, until about the age of 21, and then age guidelines become vague often ranging 21 and older. People almost age out of sports, but sports promote healthy habits and provide opportunities to socialize, and arguably as people age these aspects of life become increasingly important.
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Exercise 5: Padlet Discussion
Why do you think age discrimination is “reported more than any form of prejudice” with older people presented as a threat to social values and interests? Feel welcome to use video in your responses. Paste your comments (or transcript of your video) below!
| I believe age discrimination is reported more than other forms of prejudice because aging is viewed as a negative process, and people fear it. Young people are commonly associated with positive traits such as attractiveness, intelligence and fun, while older people are more often associated with negative traits including being unattractive, lazy, and boring. Everyone ages as they progress through life, however as a 20 year old I have many times heard the phrases “travel while you’re young” or “enjoy life while you can.” These phrases reinforce the societal norm that quality of life decreases with age, and as one becomes older they become less capable. Society’s tendency to underestimate the elderly population creates a norm of prioritizing the younger population. As a result older people are underprovided with opportunities that could enhance their quality of life.
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B) Older Women and Sport
Exercise 6: Notebook Prompt
What differences do you see in these ads? Which one is more inclusive? How is age represented or not represented in each? Answer these questions in your notebook.
| I view the first ad, Nike – You Can’t Stop Us, to be more inclusive. The ad promotes change and cooperation while addressing the existence of many minorities in sport. The second ad, This Girl Can, focuses on the experiences of women in sports. It illustrates the obstacles they overcome such as being active after giving birth and being underestimated by society. Both ads fail to include a single person from the senior population, the second ad puts a greater emphasis on age through its presentation of motherhood, but neither ad demonstrate how age plays into sport.
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Exercise 7: Notebook Prompt
In her article, “Assessing the sociology of sport: On age and ability,” Elizabeth Pike references a “trend towards a ‘feminisation of ageing’, with many women living longer than men” (573). Do you agree that aging has been “feminized” in this way? How? Answer these questions in your notebook.
| I do agree that aging is becoming feminized. In retirement and nursing homes women make the large majority, aging is viewed as a slow and draining process in women and a fast declining process in men. Women continue to be confronted with the societal expectation that women are caregivers in old age. Women are assigned this societal role of being a mother and a grandmother first, and their own person second. This takes away from physical activity and can lead to the extreme hit women’s physical abilities often take with age. Men do not skip the process of aging but women are perceived in a different light, one that stereotypes and discriminates.
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Section Three: Module Mini Assignment
| Pickleball has become somewhat of a trend in the eyes of senior citizens. The senior population has been rapidly increasing, and with this increase the sport of pickleball has become of interest. It is important that people have opportunities to be active, engage with others and enjoy themselves. For many people sports provide opportunities within all of these aspects of life. With age, these aspects quickly become even more important, contributing to both the acceptance and resistance processes in aging. Seniors are often challenged with increased struggles in socialization compared to younger folks. Old age can be a rather isolating time, people become restricted in their outings and daily life, this is largely due to accessibility issues. With limited social interactions comes a natural decline in cognitive abilities, this decline can then make navigating the few interactions one does have even harder. Another impact of aging is a gradual loss of physical abilities, and without frequent physical activities there is no way to avoid this decline. Accessibility to sports should cater to all ages, allowing for enhanced social, cognitive and physical abilities. Pickleball gives a relatively safe space for seniors to interact socially, cognitively and physically through a no-contact, easy to learn sport.
Extra Credit: The idea of new pickleball courts in Bonnerworth Park sparked quite the heated debate in Peterborough council last year. The renovation proposal raised concerns about green space, noise, and other recreational activities. It is important to note that Peterborough contains a park filled with green space nearby, the noise from pickleball would be less than that produced by traffic, and other sports have designated spaces within the city. Despite all of these reasonable arguments in response to presented concerns, the initial plan to renovate the park with the addition of pickleball courts was denied (Throop, 2024). Pickleball has been growing in popularity, in particular with the generally increasing elderly population. The sport provides people with an accessible opportunity to socialize, exercise and have fun, all of which promote better health in the process of aging. Social interactions are crucial to cognitive function and mental well-being, especially in old age. Engagement in physical activities and learning new activities can greatly benefit later life. Having accessible spaces dedicated to activities for seniors is crucial for their overall quality of life (Pachana & Griffiths, 2024). Pickleball courts should be easily accessible through public transportation and an even better next step would be the implementation of indoor pickleball courts to allow for year round use. Debates surrounding the sport should take into account the benefits it has for elderly folks, as well as the potential for the sport to grow and reach the interest of younger generations. Ageism factors into debates surrounding pickleball because of the lack of understanding that sports cater to the young. Pickleball is a sport inclusive of seniors, yet it is under prioritized. References Throop B. (2024, April 3). Council doubles down on plan to add 16 pickleball courts to Bonnerworth Park after testy debate. Peterborough Currents. https://peterboroughcurrents.ca/news/bonnerworth-redevelopment/ Pachana N.A. & Griffith A. (2024). The Social Context of Aging. E.L. Woodhead & B.P. Yochim. (Ed.). Psychology of Aging: A Biopsychosocial Perspective. (2nd ed., pp. 298-306 ). Springer Publishing Company, 2024
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