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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.
| The Third Age
The “third age” is a period of life that often begins after retirement and is distinguished by ongoing freedom, excellent health, and chances for personal satisfaction. Unlike earlier stages of life, which are frequently centred on school, job, and family duties, the third age is viewed as a period of self-discovery, relaxation, and active participation in community or personal interests. It signifies a change away from the traditional perspective of aging as a decline and toward vitality, productivity, and independence. Individuals in their third decade frequently pursue new interests, travel, volunteer, or participate in lifelong learning. This phase dispels ageist prejudices by demonstrating that aging may entail progress, contribution, and joy. However, it is crucial to emphasize that the notion of the third age is sometimes associated with luxury, since not everyone has the health, financial stability, or social support to properly enjoy this era. Nonetheless, the third age has become
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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.
The defining attitude toward old age is nostalgia and romanticization. Elders are viewed as treasured ties to a “better” or more “authentic” past, frequently representing tradition, stability, and continuity. Their experiences and recollections are seen as living history, transmitted via stories, ceremonies, and cultural teachings. This viewpoint stresses the learning gained throughout a lifetime, as well as the emotional depth of remembering and honouring the past. Elders are not only revered, but also romanticized, serving as icons of a bygone era that people desire for. They are regarded as the guardians of legacy, identity, and persistent cultural values. |
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 article’s reference to Dionigi’s study implies that participating in sports enables older persons to “accept and resist the ageing process.” By engaging in physical activities, elders acknowledge their aging by modifying their routines to their changing physical capacities, displaying acceptance. Concurrently, they resist aging by opposing cultural assumptions that portray older people as lethargic or unable, therefore sustaining vitality and rejecting age-based expectations. |
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, older folks from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnic minorities, women, and those with impairments have less opportunity to participate in sports. These groups frequently encounter structural constraints such as restricted access to facilities, a lack of transportation, cultural conventions, and less personalized programs that address their individual needs and preferences. Privilege is important in aging and sport because it influences access to sports through overlapping criteria such as wealth, education, race, and gender. Those with economic and social advantages are more likely to be able to afford memberships, equipment, and time for sports. They also frequently reside in places with more resources and inclusive leisure opportunities. In contrast, disenfranchised older persons may lack not just financial resources but also the confidence or cultural support to participate in sports. As a result, the physiological, social, and psychological advantages of sports are unequally distributed, exacerbating existing disparities in later life. Sport, as a result, may both reflect and perpetuate privilege unless rules and practices are structured to be inclusive and accessible to all age groups.
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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!
| Age discrimination is more commonly documented than other types of prejudice because it is ubiquitous, subtle, and firmly ingrained in many countries. Ageism, unlike other types of prejudice, affects everyone at some point, yet it is frequently overlooked. Older people are typically represented as a drain on healthcare, pensions, and labour markets, creating the impression that they jeopardize economic and social stability. Media and society also tend to celebrate youth, productivity, and innovation, all of which downplay aging. As a result, older persons are frequently seen as “out of touch” or reluctant to change, perpetuating prejudices and excluding them from mainstream society.
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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 “You Can’t Stop Us” features athletes from numerous sports, highlighting themes of solidarity and perseverance. However, it mostly depicts youthful people, with little representation of senior generations. In contrast, the “This Girl Can – Me Again” advertisement depicts women participating in physical activities, including older women, emphasizing inclusion across age groups. This advertisement depicts age as no impediment to participating in sports and fitness, making it more inclusive in depicting older people. While both advertisements highlight diversity, “This Girl Can” more clearly tackles age-related preconceptions by presenting older participants.
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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.
| Elizabeth Pike’s observation of a “feminisation of ageing,” where women frequently outlast males, is a well-documented demographic trend. Women often live longer than males, resulting in a larger proportion of elderly women in the population. This lifespan advantage, however, presents distinct obstacles that highlight the gendered aspect of aging. Economically, elderly women typically experience financial instability. Lower lifetime wages, employment disruptions owing to caregiving commitments, and pension benefit discrepancies all contribute to this susceptibility. As a result, more elderly women than males live in poverty. Health-wise, while women live longer, they frequently have greater morbidity rates. Chronic diseases, impairments, and frailty are increasingly common among older women, needing extensive healthcare measures adapted to their unique requirements. Socially, women’s traditional caregiving roles continue into old age. Many elderly women continue to care for their spouses, friends, or grandkids, even at the sacrifice of their own health. This ongoing commitment can cause physical, mental, and financial strain.
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Section Three: Module Mini Assignment
| Pickleball in Peterborough raises questions about urban growth and community leisure. A plan to replace baseball diamonds and tennis courts at Bonnerworth Park with dedicated pickleball courts has stirred heated discussion. Critics believe that paving over green area would lower the park’s ecological and social value (Cruickshank, 2024). This debate mirrors wider disagreements about promoting certain sports at the expense of more adaptable communal areas. The argument also highlights the socio-demographic features of pickleball, which is commonly regarded as a sport for older folks. However, media depictions have fostered misconceptions about its exclusivity to seniors while ignoring its attraction to people of all ages (Jaffe, 2013). Ageism has a significant role in the media’s representation of pickleball. The sport is frequently portrayed as a leisure for seniors, supporting the assumption that older persons are less physically fit and, as a result, restricting their recreational options to non-competitive, low-energy sports. Articles on pickleball in senior-athlete contexts, for example, frequently highlight its accessibility and suitability for older bodies while failing to acknowledge the sport’s popularity across a wider range of demographics. These ageist narratives encourage a neoliberal agenda that prioritizes older persons’ production and engagement primarily in ways that correspond to society expectations of aging, such as occupations with little physical strain or marketable health trends. In these images, aging is positioned as something to be handled rather than embraced, reducing the autonomy of older athletes. This is an important point made by Pike (2015), who criticizes the monetization of aging and society’s predilection for portraying older individuals as passive consumers of health and pleasure rather than active participants in dynamic sports such as pickleball.
Shields, T. (2023, March 30). Ageism from outside pickleball: What to say when people make assumptions. The Dink Pickleball. https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/ageism-outside-pickleball Jaffe, I. (2013, July 31). Pickleball, anyone? senior athletes play new games and Old. NCPR. https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/206961971/pickleball-anyone-senior-athletes-play-new-games-and-old Cruickshank, A. (2024, April 8). Plan to pave a Peterborough Park for pickleball faces pushback. The Narwhal. https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-peterborough-pickleball-paves-park/ Pike, E. C. (2015). Assessing the sociology of sport: On age and ability. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 50(4-5), 570-574. https://doi-org.proxy1.lib.trentu.ca/10.1177/1012690214550009
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