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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 is a concept used to describe the time in life after retirement that is often marked by active aging, self-actualization, and continued social interaction. It is widely viewed as an opportunity to break free from traditional work obligations, providing space for hobbies, education, travel, and volunteering. The concept conflicts with antiquated definitions of aging as dependence, decline, and diminished quality of life.
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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.
| I believe that old age today is at its best representation. Seniors are seen more commonly as independent and embracing new challenges. Regardless of age, many older people are excited to try new things and seem eager to excel at any age.
https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.d5a0e0230be01cab2b07e66b1e7a9753?rik=3Du00%2b3wCtgLbw&riu=http%3a%2f%2fprod.static9.net.au%2f_%2fmedia%2fNetwork%2fImages%2f2017%2f09%2f21%2f12%2f13%2f170424coach_old_men.jpg&ehk=IpwiRcyXp0D6B24zZOusWJlyfAPfdW7iGrh3l9tAELc%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0 this is the image I selected |
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.
| Elizabeth Pike writes in her article that Dionigi’s research notes that sport provides older persons’ participants with potential means of both “acceptance and resistance” to the ageing process (p. 572). This duality speaks to how partaking in physical activity enables seniors to accept their aging and simultaneously push against the limitations associated with it. Sport allows older people to see and accommodate deteriorations and adaptations to the ageing process, enabling them to plan activities commensurate with their physical capabilities. This acceptance breeds a realistic and healthy perspective as one ages. On the contrary, sports offer seniors the opportunity to challenge the stereotype that old age is a time of decline. They remain physically active, clearly to avoid the stereotype of being sedentary in old age.
https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/fit-in/900×510/https://www.forbes.com/health/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/best_sports_for_older_adults.jpg https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.zX7s25Q12FueToCZrtqY-wHaD4?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain |
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 Elizabeth Pike. Older adults with physical disabilities are less likely to participate in sports due to fewer opportunities caused by poor infrastructure and the societal perception that sports are not for them. Women and girls who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds face other barriers, including a lack of resources, certain social perceptions, and limited opportunities to participate in sports. It has become more commonplace to attain experiences in different sports for each season, as sports facilities, specialized training, and supportive environments have become available through the alternative communities provided by a higher socioeconomic network. In contrast, individuals with no advantages face limitations in maintaining a physically active lifestyle due to economic barriers, lack of access to appropriate programs, or negative societal behavior toward their involvement. It emphasizes the importance of inclusive policies and programs that consider the broader spectrum of ageing processes to provide equitable access to sports and to promote health and well-being across the different groups in society.
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 prejudice is the most frequently reported form of discrimination because the amount of the population who experience age relative to the growth of society is socially interwoven with the most concrete aspects of societal fears and beliefs. Unlike other types of prejudice, like racism and sexism, which target specific groups of people, ageism ultimately affects all of us and is more widespread yet under the radar. Older people are too often and too readily viewed as a drain on health systems, the economy, and society, reinforcing negative images of older people as dependent, frail, or stuck in their ways.
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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.
| The Nike ad can be considered more inclusive, in my opinion, because it involves people with disabilities, as well as several different representations of men and women. The other ad is more specifically for a female demographic with no men and no disability. Age is not very well represented in either ad; almost all people are within the young adult to middle age range; no senior representation.
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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.
| Global data show that women have a higher life expectancy than men, which aligns with Elizabeth Pike’s observation of a “feminization of ageing,” the phenomenon whereby women generally outlive men. As of 2021, the average number of years an individual could expect to live was 73.8 years for women and 68.4 years for men, a 5-year difference. This demographic trend has profound societal implications. As more women survive into old age, issues affecting older women, such as healthcare needs, financial security, and social support, come to the fore. But the idea of the feminization of aging goes beyond just outnumbering the men. It addresses the unique challenges facing older women, including long-standing economic inequalities in the workforce and a higher rate of chronic illnesses. In addition, societal attitudes generally perpetuate a double standard of ageing, with ageing in women considered more unfavorable than in men. This can cause ageism layered with sexism, impacting older women’s social roles and how they see themselves.
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Section Three: Module Mini Assignment
| The dispute in Peterborough is over the city’s proposal to develop a section of Bonnerworth Park’s green space into 16 pickleball courts and more parking. Critics among residents say the development would reduce valuable green space and was done without sufficient public consultation. The dispute underscores tensions between the promotion of recreational activities for an aging population and the preservation of community green spaces. In media and social media narratives, older pickleball players are portrayed as fervent believers in the sport, highlighting its health and social benefits for older people. Unfortunately, these representations can still, at times, perpetuate ageist tropes by representing older adults as one homogenous group of people with a common goal of leisure activities. Such a narrow representation means that a range of issues and contributions around seniors are left out of conversations that impact them and could even mean they get marginalized in the public sphere. Elizabeth Pike’s work on sports sociology, specifically, sheds light on the phenomenon. She writes about how older adults’ participation in sports can challenge and conform to society’s expectations of aging. Portraying older people trying out a new sport for the first time, like pickleball or golf, reflects older people being active and in control of their lives, but overwhelmingly age-centric media narratives risk contributing to beliefs that specific things are for younger or older people, which rachets up age-separatism. In these discussions, we can see the neoliberal focus on responsibility and active aging. Older adults are often prodded to play pickleball or stay active to stay healthy and alleviate the burdens society imagines they place on it as they age. Promoting active lifestyles is helpful for sure, but this view of aging can create a means of social control that puts pressure on seniors to live up to particular definitions of successful aging while failing to consider the structural aspects that feed into health and wellness.
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