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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.
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I believe equity means distributing resources in a fair and impartial way ensuring that everyone has their own unique needs met. This is different from equality, as this concept implies that everyone should have access to the same resource, rather than assessing individual needs on a case by case basis. For this reason, I believe the concept of equity is much more beneficial in promoting fairness and justice for disadvantaged individuals.
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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.
| Old age is commonly seen as a form of weakness in present society, and old-age discrimination is becoming increasingly common (Pike, 2015). As this article acknowledges, society, and sports specifically, have always been geared towards younger, able-bodied people and tends to view the elderly as somewhat of an inconvenience. In addition to this societal barrier, once elderly people enter the ‘fourth age’, physical barriers may set in preventing inclusion in most sports. We also see discrimination against elderly people through all aspects of life on the stereotype that they all promote regressive ideas and challenge progress in social justice. This of course, is not true for many elderly people and is often used as an excuse to not include the elderly in various aspects of society and sports. I chose this image because I believe it shows that elderly people can still engage in many different sports, not just sports we typically associate with aging, like golf or pickleball.
Elderly Sport and 6 ways to make you safe from the injuries!. ParaVida Sport. (2021, January 26). https://www.paravidasport.com/safety-and-doing-elderly-sport/ 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/10.1177/1012690214550009 (Original work published 2015) |
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.
| I believe that what this article means by ‘accept and resist ageing’ is that the elderly population must come to terms with their declining physical abilities, but also do everything in their power to prolong the ageing process. This may include participating in organized sports, engaging in physically active video games, or making an individual effort to stay active. As the article acknowledges, many elderly people may prefer the latter two options so as to avoid potential embarrassment or ridicule from engaging in organized sports designed for a younger demographic. The two images I have chose show how sport can be used to both resist and accept ageing. In the first image, we see elderly people running track, which is fairly aerobically demanding, and an activity we do not often associate with older athletes. The second image represents more of an acceptance towards ageing, as the elderly people are seated, and performing some mobility exercises that we might expect to see ageing individuals participating in.
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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)
| As identified by Pike, the ageing population in general is less likely to have extant opportunity to partake in sport, but specifically within this demographic, individuals with disabilities, some ethnic minorities, and people living in long-term care homes and rural areas are less likely to have opportunities to partake in sports. White privilege may also factor into ageing and sport, as much of the research around this topic is centred around the experiences of white people. Therefore, the information gathered through these studies may not be representative of the experiences that racial minorities face in ageing and sport. This is not dissimilar to the health gap, which we learned about in earlier modules, where medical research tends to focus on health issues that predominantly impact caucasians, or by using white people as a model for research at a much higher rate than other races.
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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!
| I think that the main reason that age discrimination is so common is because everyone experiences advanced age sooner or later. This is different than say racial discrimination, in that not every member of the population is a racial minority, however, everyone, regardless of their demographic, may some day experience age-related discrimination. As Pike notes in a 2011 article, the idea of older people being a threat to social values increased in regards to the generation born immediately after WW2. As the baby boomers and members of the silent generation age, an increasing resentment has been seen to creep in from members of gen Z and millennials. Much of this resentment is driven by the worsening climate and economic state which these older generations have contributed to. Many in the younger generation feel somewhat ripped off, as these generations have established socioeconomic systems which are not sustainable and thus cause younger generations to suffer. This however, is not an excuse to discriminate against older individuals, as we must remember that the individual has limited control over society as a whole.
Pike, E. C. J. (2011). The active aging agenda, Old folk devils and a new moral panic. Sociology of Sport Journal, 28(2), 209–225. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.28.2.209
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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.
| After watching the Nike ad and the This Girl Can ad, I would have to say the latter seems more inclusive. While the Nike ad does showcase athletes from different demographics with different physical abilities, it feels superficial without diving into the different obstacles that athletes may face. The 2nd ad seems to highlight more of the physical and mental struggles different people associate with sport. For example, the woman encouraging her begrudging mom to go for a run, or the muscle cramps which occur with vigorous strength training. Although this ad feels more inclusive than the first, age is not well represented in either, as a very limited range of ages are shown. Both ads seem to fixate on athletes that are in the age range of 20-40 years old, and while there are a few scenes showcasing younger individuals in sport, there are no examples in either of seniors participating in physical activity. This reinforces the stereotype that older individuals are too weak and don’t belong in sports with younger people.
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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 would agree to some extent that ageing has become more feminized as women do tend to live longer than men, however, this is not necessarily because society prioritizes care for ageing women over men. The predominant cause of the gendered lifespan gap is that men tend to work more dangerous jobs, take bigger risks, and commit suicide at a higher rate than women. In addition to this, males are also more likely to experience heart disease than women and often die at a relatively young age from this (Shmerling, 2022). We should also note that just because women live longer than men, this does not mean they have a better quality of life in old age than men do. This connects back to the gendered health gap that exists between men and women. A Harvard study found that 99% of clinical studies on aging ignore menopause, a condition that essentially all women are subjected to as they age (Walsh, 2024). Clearly, the feminization of ageing is not due to a focus on prioritizing health of older women, but rather a decrease in the population of older males.
References: Shmerling, R. (2020, June 22). Why men often die earlier than women. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-men-often-die-earlier-than-women-201602199137 Walsh, J. (2024, December 12). How gaps in research lead to gaps in care for aging women. Harvard Medical School. https://hms.harvard.edu/news/how-gaps-scientific-data-lead-gaps-care-aging-women
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Section Three: Module Mini Assignment
References: Ross, S. (2024, December 4). Latest twist in pickleball controversy leaves P.E.I. town without new courts – and mayor | CBC News. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-kensington-pickleball-courts-1.7401084
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/
Yang, T. (2023, October 3). Pickleball is wreaking havoc across the US – and it’s only going to get worse. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2023/10/02/pickleball-is-wreaking-havoc-across-the-us/#:~:text=In%20New%20York%20City%2C%20picklers,having%20their%20territory%20encroached%20upon.
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