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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.
| Third age – The term “third age” refers to the stage of life that usually follows retirement and is characterized by active, independent, and often fulfilling living. Where one has spent the majority of their adulthood working, the third age is when they are able to step into a new way of living. The third age puts emphasis on personal growth, down-time, new learning, and engagement in community or cultural activities. |
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.
This photo represents how aging in today’s society is often framed through the lens of anti-aging rather than acceptance. The split between the older man’s natural face and the younger, smoothed-out version he holds highlights society’s obsession with youth and the pressure to “reverse” age. Instead of celebrating the beauty, wisdom, and experience that come with aging, there’s a constant push to appear younger. This reflects the broader cultural discomfort with aging, especially in media and marketing, where wrinkles are seen as flaws rather than natural markers of life lived. I think that aging should be embraced rather than attempting to escape the inevitable. |
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.
These images represent the adaptation that occurs with aging while still performing and engaging in physical activity/sport. In the article by Pike (2015), referencing Dionigi et al. (2013), the phrase that sport helps aging people to “accept and resist the ageing process” means that participation in physical activity can acknowledge the natural changes that come with age while also pushing back against stereotypes of decline and fragility that often cause a withdrawal from sport altogether. Through sport, specifically pickleball and aquafit, older adults may recognize that their performance might not be what it once was, thus accepting aging, but they also challenge assumptions that aging bodies are incapable or inactive by continuing to move, compete, and staying engaged with sport, thus resisting. |
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)
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According to Pike (2015), the groups that are less likely to have extensive opportunities to participate in sport include people with disabilities, those who are very frail, individuals who live in long-term care facilities or rural areas, and members of some minority ethnic groups. She discusses that these populations often face structural, financial, and cultural barriers to access, adding that aging women are particularly vulnerable to exclusion because of societal expectations around caregiving and gender roles, which can limit their time and energy for physical activity (Pike, 2015). Privilege plays a significant role in shaping sport access for aging adults as those with economic and cultural capital, typically white, middle-class individuals, are more likely to engage in sport during later life, as they have the time, access to resources and access to appropriate facilities, and more financial gain. Meanwhile, marginalized groups are often subject to environments that lack inclusivity, access, or available programs/opportunities. Pike (2015) notes that much of the existing research focuses on privileged groups who have easy access to sport and physical activity resources which is creating a knowledge gap around how race, gender, class, and disability intersect with aging and sport participation. |
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!
| Age discrimination may be so commonly reported because it’s often subtle and socially accepted. In today’s society, older people are frequently seen as less productive or resistant to change, which is essentially the opposite to societies view on youth and speeding through things. In a world heavily influenced by social media, it is common to not take things slowly. Along with this, aging is so commonly regarded as a negative thing, with media focusing on ways to stop it from happening, that it has been made so normal, hence why discrimination revolving around age is so highly reported. This fuels stereotypes that frame aging as a burden rather than a natural life stage. |
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.
| One of the most noticeable differences I see throughout the ads is their target audience. It appears that the first ad by Nike attains to all ages, all genders/identities, race, and abilities, whereas the second as pertains only to women. The second ad regarden women and girls fails to include anyone over the age of 50 by the looks of it, and fails to be as visually inclusive as Nike’s ad was. Additionally, the “This Girl Can” ad tends to follow stereotypical gender norms that surround women such as periods, motherhood, and mental health, which does not allow for the same level as inclusivity as Nike’s ad. Regarding age, as discussed, the This Girl Can ad has zero representation of older women, however, Nike’s ad also failed to address any older athletes or active individuals as well. Overall I would argue that Nike’s ad was most inclusive between the two, however, both severely underrepresented older individuals. |
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.
| Yes, I agree with Pike’s observation that aging has been “feminized” in some ways, particularly because women tend to live longer than men and therefore make up a larger portion of the older population. This demographic reality has led to aging often being viewed through a gendered lens, where older women are more visible in healthcare systems, caregiving roles, and retirement communities. However, this visibility doesn’t necessarily translate to empowerment. Aging women are frequently subjected to double standards—facing both ageism and sexism. Media and societal expectations often pressure older women to maintain youthful appearances, reinforcing harmful ideas that their value diminishes with age. In contrast, older men are more likely to be seen as distinguished or wise. The feminization of aging, then, reveals not only a demographic trend but also how societal norms around beauty, productivity, and care continue to shape how aging women are perceived and treated. |
Section Three: Module Mini Assignment
| ** Completed longer version as assignment 2 alternative**
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