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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
For the longest time, I thought equality was the only important term to consider when it came to people, but after I learned about the term equity, I believe that in terms of sports and individuals, it is an important term that all sports, teams, and leagues should follow. Unlike equality, which fights for equal access to opportunities, it can unintentionally leave an individual out. Equity promotes fairness by providing opportunities that best fit different individuals’ needs. Equity ensures athletes are in an environment where fairness is put first to create fair, equal games. Everyone is born with different needs, learning needs, athletic needs, and more; it is important that equity is promoted to ensure fairness. |
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.
| Society today represents old age, which weighs heavily on old-aged individuals. Society creates many stereotypes and norms that heavily affect other individuals. For example, it is known that if old people work out and maintain a healthy lifestyle as they age, they are more likely to live an easy old age and not decline. This norm creates pressure on the old age population who may have different conditions that restrict them from being able to stay active. When discussing the elderly population, it is either about declining or working out, which causes a better life. Having limits like these can harm the elderly who cannot work out, causing stress factors. Working out is not the only way the elderly can live a better life; extra stressors like these should not be implemented.
This photo exemplifies society’s norms of the elderly working out to live a better life. This can create a difficult feeling for people who may be unable to work out due to disability, condition, or health. |
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.
 
The first picture uploaded represents aging people accepting the aging process, whereas the second picture represents resisting the aging process. Accepting the ageing process means the aging population understands that the body changes throughout aging, and they move to the ability they can. For example, the first picture is aquafit, these people are still excersing, but to an easier ability that is easier for their body. The aging population believes that fitness is beneficial, but they understand their bodies decline and need to be taken easier Resisting the ageing process is the aging population, which is still pushing limits to maintain healthy living. They believe their bodies are the same as they were years ago and won’t give up on decline. To a certain degree, the aging population who resist are trying to stand up to societal norms that assume all elderly population declines as the years go by |
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)
| Pike outlines that the groups that are less likely to have opportunities to take part in sports are individuals with disabilities, frail, ethic minority groups and individuals living in rural areas (Pike, 2015). Because these individuals face different challenges than the typical individual in society, their access to different opportunities may be limited, restricting them from accessing sports.
Pike also outlines that privilege is a factor for various reasons. For example, lower-class individuals may not have the same opportunities that middle/higher-class individuals do. Resources may not be available to lower-class individuals that can help the individual access sport. Privilege is a factor when it comes to aging in sports as there may be different support options, facilities, and more essential things available to privileged individuals over minorities. |
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!
| Unfortunately, everyone experiences aging without any say in doing so. Everyone ages throughout their life, eventually ending up in the elderly category. I believe age discrimination is so common as it is something no individual can change. As people age, their bodies naturally change, but this doesn’t mean they become frail. They simply have different physical capabilities than when they were younger. Unfortunately, society often views the elderly as old and unproductive, leading to age discrimination. Once they retire from the workforce, many in society consider them less valuable or useful. Because aging is something that is out of people’s control, society creates norms, and individuals experience age discrimination.
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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.
| There are very different differences in these ads. The Nike ad is more about unity, coming together as a whole to compete against the world. It showed many different intersectional factors, such as race and gender, coming together to unite. The Nike ad was very inspirational as it showed different clips of people competing in sports from all over.
This girl can ad was more focused on individual people and their hardships of completing different activities. It showed smaller real-life situations that many people can relate to and showed messages to inspire other individuals. This ad focused more on weight and overcoming individual barriers. When talking about how age is represented, the Nike one is more for youth when they are at their most active phase, whereas the second one goes all over different ages, which can send out a more inspirational message to people watching.
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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 agree with the statement that Pike references in her article. Society has created a perspective that aligns with women when individuals think about aging. Different thing, such as media, even portrays this idea. In many aging skin care ads, or creams for wrinkles, or even diapers, the media always focuses on women, which can create a message for people to connect aging to females. Women are being represented as the caregivers of the family, moms, grandmas, and nanas, which tends to lead towards the feminization of ageing. With women being stereotyped as the caregiver, as they age, it is pressured onto them that they should be ageing into caregivers. As it has been shown that women live longer than men, society has made ageing revolve around women more than men, which also plays into factor when it comes to the feminization of ageing.
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Section Three: Module Mini Assignment
  
The Great Peterborough Pickleball Debacle surrounds the controversy of building many pickleball courts over a park, which started controversy between athletes and neighbourhood residents in 2024. The narwhal article criticized the city for paving over a park as it can be detrimental to the environment and neighbourhood. The article outlined that the pickleball park only benefits older adults and that more planning should have been done before paving over a park. While researching, I read an article published by Global News that shed light on how neighbourhood residents feel about the new development. Many thought it would be noisy and increase attention in their “front yards”. With pickleball being a sport older people played, residents were upset because the city sided with their interests.. It was reported they felt they had no say in the debate whether to keep the park or build the new development.. On the other hand, another news article I found from the Peterborough Examiner outlined how beneficial the new development can be to athletes around the neighbourhood, highlighting that it can help older individuals to stay active. The debacle portrays ageism as found in various sources. It was noted that the older population received favoritism over individuals who cared about the environment and opposed the destruction of the park. Ageism depicts the older population in a light that suggests they are privileged because they played a crucial role in the new development. Older individuals should be able to engage in healthy activities without being stereotyped as privileged. When discussing the neoliberal agenda outlined by Pike, pickleball emerges as a relevant activity, as older individuals use this sport to remain active as they age. The neoliberal agenda emphasizes the structured timeline and activities that older individuals should undertake to promote healthy aging. People can engage in this activity to maintain their fitness. However, playing an active sport like pickleball can be contradictory, as many people may not have aged in the same way as others, which creates stressors to stay fit.
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