Social class refers to the hierarchal distinctions between individuals or groups in society. These distinctions are based on “a combination of income, wealth, education, occupation, and social connections (Coakley, 322). According to Coakley, ones social class begets his or her life chances.
Life chances are the chances one individual or group will be successful and powerful economically in society. The fact that life chances vary across society enforces the proliferation and variety of social classes.
Social stratification is the hierarchal arrangement of social classes in a society. This term is used to emphasize that people who are born into a wealthy social class will have better opportunities for success than those born into a poor social class. Social inequality in society is the basis of social stratification.
The term class relations explain how those with power in society create sporting organization in their image of the way things should be. A standard of character and behavior is created and anyone who wants to be part of the organization/league is expected to have similar values. Class relations are very evident in the relationship between professional sports and mass media. The degree of wealth and control of major companies one has, along with their gender and race greatly influences who has power in sports. According to Coakley, “when it comes to power in sports, it’s a white man’s world” (Coakley, 327). People with power in sports, especially major media moguls, influence which sports are available to the media and to what degree. Those in power make available the sports programming that is most profitable to their company.
“Social class and class relations influence who plays, who watches, who consumes information about sports, and what information is available to the mainstream media” (Coakley, 329). Economic status, power, and life chances are closely related to involvement with sports. The wealthier and more educated people participate in sports, and attend and watch games than the lower socially classed individuals. One study has shown that Olympic athletes and officials have higher social class backgrounds. High-income groups have more time to participate in leisure activities such as swimming, golfing, and going to the gym than low-income groups. Those with higher income also have better exercise/leisure facilities due to the fact they have the money to pay for such amenities.
Millions of taxpayers’ hard earned money is being spent each year to build sport stadiums and arenas. This in turn creates huge revenue for the already wealthy people and corporations owning the professional sports team. Team owners use something that taxpayers payed for to make ridiculous amounts of money. And the worst part about this is the fact that the average taxpayer can’t afford to buy a ticket to see a game played at the stadium he/she contributed to help build. If they do get a ticket, chances are that the luxury box seats of wealthy corporations has helped pushed their seat back and raise the ticket price. The transfer of public tax money to team owners has taken away from societies much need social services for the poor and unemployed. Another way the creation of sport stadiums hurts society is that a lot less jobs are created than if a shopping mall or zoo was built in its place. Stadiums do not need many employees and work is only seasonal. On top of that stadium work is low paying. The way public money moves into the hands of wealthy team owners is a prime example of class relations in action.
Ticket prices to profession sport events have escalated over the past decade and will continue to rise. Stadiums/arenas are built to accommodate the wealthier spectators who do not care about ticket prices. Social class segregation occurs as a result of ones ability to afford a ticket and is very evident in the stands. The wealthy individuals in luxurious suites and box seats with special accommodations want the distinction they have between themselves and the average fan to be evident. They want and encourage this distinction because it is a status symbol, which proves to their friends and the public that they are different or better than the average person.
Social mobility is a sociology term that can be applied to sports. It is used to refer to “changes in wealth, education, and occupation over a person’s lifetime or from one generation to the next in families” (Coakley, 343). These changes can change for the better or worse over time. There are three main factors affecting social mobility in sports. First, there is a less than abundant number of career opportunities in the sports field, especially when athletic careers are relatively short. Last, but not least, the number of on and off field career opportunities for women and blacks, though growing, are still limited.