Equity, which is not the same thing as equality, means to give people the support they need to be successful, rather than giving everyone the exact same support. Equity recognized that individuals have different experiences, barriers, and needs, meaning supports and resources should match what people need to make sure everyone has a fair chance. This can be related to aging in sports because as people get older, their bodies need different access to support than younger people need. Equity in sports means making sure older athletes have the right kind of support (even though they may differ from younger people) to ensure they can stay healthy and active.

I chose this picture to exemplify old age because I think often times it is represented through key words such as: fragile, sick, weak, and in some cases, disabled. One defining attitude I think we as a society can sometimes have against old age is the fact that they are not able to do everything younger people can. I don’t think this belief is always out of meanness, but out of worry. We all have a parent or grandparent who is getting older, whom we may worry about from time to time. I think we also all know that most people die when they are older, and therefore, within human nature, we want to protect our loved ones for as long as possible. All in all, I think sometimes when we think of old age we think of weakness (which is not the case), but only out of human nature, love, and worry.

I chose this picture because I think it would help people accept the aging process. My grandma lives with my family and she retired around a year ago, I think one of the things she struggles the most with in retirement is feeling lonely. I think this picture would not only help her, but many people who are aging because it shows that you can still get out and be active with friends. There is a way for everyone to play sports (it might not be at the professional level but I’m 20 and i also couldn’t play at the professional level). I like this picture because it shows that people who ae aging can still 1. be active, 2. get outside with friends, and 3. enjoy what they are doing.

I also chose this picture because it shows a women doing sports. I think that there might be a double standard that men who are aging can do sports whereas women who are aging cannot. When I played soccer as a kid I noticed a lot of older male referees, but not many older women referees. I think this picture proves to women that they can still partake in sports even through they may be aging. I think this picture would help people who are aging accept they are because it proves they can still do the things they did when they were younger. I think this picture helps people resist aging because it shows that they’re still capable of being active despite their age.

Privledge plays a part in sport because none of the groups less likely to take part in sports align with privileged identity markers (straight, white, male, rich, etc.). Trhoughout this course we have learned that aspects such as where you live, and how much money you have contribute to accessing sport. For example, people living in rural areas may not have sport close to them, meaning they would have to travel to sport. If they also has income issues, traveling may not be an option for them which limits their access to sport. Another example may be people with disabilities living in rural areas. There may not be a league for people with disabilities in rural areas, again forcing them to travel. All in all, people who have economic, social, and physical advantage and privilege also have better access to sport.

This question makes me think back to a few years ago when my employer hired an older gentleman (for reference, I work in a bar where the staff age ranges from approximately 15-30). I don’t know exactly how old this man was, but he had grey hair and wrinkles, so I would guess at least 50. At the time this gentleman worked with us, I was not a bartender, but a host, and my primary just was to support the servers and bartenders. I can remember gravitating towards helping out this older gentleman, which, looking back, may almost be a form of age discrimination. This man had decades more experience than anyone else working at the time, and I think that it is interesting that I gravitated to help him the most.

Referring back to my first notebook prompt, I don’t think my gravitating towards helping an older server came from a place of hatred or meanness, but came from a place of thinking he needed more help due to societal perceptions that maybe biased me a little bit. All in all, zi think age discrimination is reported more than and for of prejudice because of societal perceptions that have been ingrained on us, leading to biases about older folks.

• shows younger women
• shows all races
• shows men
• shows disability
• shows LGBTQ
• shows men and women

This Girl Can – Me Again

• shows different body shapes
• shows older women
• shows people of lower income?
• shows different races
• shows mothers
• only shows women

To summarize these two ads, I think both are inclusive in different ways. The Nike ad focuses more on younger men and women, shows diversity in sport as well as disability and sexuality in sport. I think this ad is more inclusive of the broader identity, but not age-wise. The “This Girl Can” focuses on only women, and I think the main message behind this ad is that even though women have different identities, such as being a mother, you can still be an athlete. I really liked how this ad incorporated different body shapes as well as being a mother. I think one of the things women athletes face is being pregnant and having their bodies change. Overall, I think both ads are inclusive, I don’t think one is “more inclusive” than another; I would simply conclude that each ad has a different target audience. I would also conclude that the Nike ad does not represent age, whereas the This Girl Can ad does represent age.

This “feminization” of aging can bring both positive and negative outcomes. It can bring awareness to issues older women face, such as poverty in retirement, health inequality, or the intersections of ageism and sexism. A negative outcome would be the risk of ignoring the experiences of aging men or others with different gender identities. All in all, while aging is often represented through a “feminized” lens, we should be careful not to stereotype or limit how we as a society understand aging in general.

The issue within this article is that neighbours of Peterborough are “outraged” at the possibility of paving over 2 baseball fields and 4 tennis courts to add about a dozen pickleball courts. Neighbours of Peterborough are concerned for multiple reasons such as: it would reduce green space and harm ecosystems, the project could be noisy, the decision-making process lacked public consultation, and it might prioritize pickleball players over the community’s needs. Furthermore, the main issue in this article is how the public space should be used.

How older athletes are represented in the media:

There seems to be a high population of older athletes engaging in the sport of pickleball. In both of the articles I have chosen to analyze, pickleball players had to fight to have access to courts for their sport. I would argue that the media portrays these athletes as active, engaging community leaders and advocates for access. These older athletes are often shown as committed to staying healthy. They are also explained to organize leagues, lead efforts to gain access to courts, and participate in public meetings, such as going to court to fight for their access. They are also portrayed as campaigning for more inclusive, age-appropriate places to play their sport.

Is ageism a factor in these representations

Although the media generally portrays older athletes in a good way, I would argue that the fact that they have to fight for access to their sport is a result of ageism. In every article I have read regarding pickleball, there is some sort of pushback from the neighbourhood. When thinking about sports that are socially known for younger people (soccer, hockey, football, etc.), there is generally no pushback to build these types of facilities. I think that although community members do raise some valid concerns, there is no pushback for other sports facilities, which is why I would conclude ageism is a factor within this issue.

Neoliberal agenda:

One of the ways the neoliberal agenda is exemplified through building pickleball courts is through an economic focus. The park redevelopment focuses on economic benefit rather than community needs or environmental impact. I think the developers, as well as Peterborough’s mayor, Jeff Leal, are pushing for development for economic benefit. While the community members of Peterborough are considering other factors such as community needs and environmental impact.

Articles Used:

https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/burnaby-pickleballers-stop-cuts-to-court-count-5413710

https://www.vicnews.com/local-news/north-saanich-pickleball-petition-wont-be-heading-to-bc-supreme-court-7812737