Correlation of Sports and Society Pressures on Athletes
Sports constitutes a big part of the US economy. For instance, the total expenditures for the year 1998 alone totaled up to $17.7 billion. Another $21.4 billion was spent on physical fitness, bowling, sports, and recreational clubs. According to these reports, this payment does not include the finances spent airing sporting events on television. This was according to the United States census bureau. The wide love for sports can be showcased in a lot of events and areas. Sports get a separate section every day in the daily newspaper; people fill stadiums to watch sports, people travel around the world because of sports, among many other things. Parents and schools undergo huge budgets due to sports as their children want to engage in sports. Commercial radio and television air out a segment of sports every day and astronomical advertisements for sports, all of which require money. These are subject to public policy as they integrate the people, politicians, the local state, and the government. This is why people need to understand the correlation between sports and the societal pressure athletes get from society.
Athletics has, for long, become a favorite for many. People love athletics, and people worldwide are open to engaging in it for one reason: passion. Reports have proven that this field has remained relatively underdeveloped and lacks theoretical development. However, there have been a lot of studies driven by two factors: social stratification and institutional organization. Social stratification has come about due to race, gender, and a much lower aspect class (Myer et al., 2015). The cultural studies focus more on the body and sport and issues associated with gender, sexuality, and feminism. The attempt to deal with how the body is presented is at times left out. The issue of how old a person has also been left out in many areas leaves out how athletes are supposed to keep up with their past pace and glory as they age.
Pressures athletes face
Every sport has its demands and pressures, especially those that come from society. The pressure comes in when the athlete is wanted to perform exceptionally. All athletes strive for excellence, but they all face pressures in the line of duty: the relationships with their coaches, injuries, and the media, among others. Every stressor is different on its own and affects the athlete in various ways. This paper’s main topic stresses the pressure athletes face when society wants them to excel in the sport at all ages of their lives.
Pressures at a young age
Young athletes, unlike all other ages of life, are expected to perform exceptionally than others. Often these athletes are stigmatized and judged for not performing. This means that the young person is supposed to remain competitive all through without having any chance for failure. This means they are supposed to attend training without failure and practice to be the best among their colleagues. The pressure becomes even higher where the young person is still studying and is supposed to attend school, take exams, and pass (Bauman, 2016). This, therefore, means the youth will face pressure from school and the athlete coach as well. This kind of pressure can take a toll on them both mentally and physically, and they at times tend to think they will fail at one point. They also tend to give up on their journey if someone is not there to hold their hand. Being an athlete is not easy, and it is vital to give them the necessary support they need.
Pressures at old age
Athletics is a passion that a lot of people love to pursue. The athletes themselves love running from their young ages to the old ages of up to 60-70 years (Houlihan & Malcolm, 2015). However, their bodies at this time might not correlate with what they want to do. This, therefore, means they cannot perform as per the expectations or as they used to. Society might not be happy with this as they expect the athlete to achieve the same way and keep on the glory. This might be hard for them to cope with, mainly because this is the time they require a lot of help both physically and mentally.
Recommendations
Since the pressure put on these athletes is too high, society needs to beware of ways to help them attain better results and be at ease with themselves. One of the things society can do is to ensure they stay calm during the sport. This will positively encourage the athletes as they can see the support they are getting from their fans. It is also good for society to ensure they do not engage in any discussions about winning or losing. It is also important for people not to bet on who or who will win the sport as this causes a lot of stigma and pressure to the athlete. It would also help many teams learn to keep traditions for their athletes, for instance, if it has been the norm for the team to have a few drinks after winning or losing the game, this should not change no matter the condition.
Conclusion
The correlation between sports and social pressures on athletes has been there for a long time. Age is not a matter of sport, but people need to note that it widely affects athletes, especially when the societal pressures cannot stop. It takes different tolls for different athletes, and some even find it hard to cope with the situation. Society should come together to end these pressures that affect these athletes, no matter their age. This will go a long way in helping them in their journey, and at the end of the day, the athlete will retire a happy person, not forgetting the society’s pride will be maintained.
References
Bauman, N. J. (2016). The stigma of mental health in athletes: are mental toughness and mental health seen as contradictory in elite sport?.
Houlihan, B., & Malcolm, D. (Eds.). (2015). Sport and society: a student introduction. Sage.
Myer, G. D., Jayanthi, N., Difiori, J. P., Faigenbaum, A. D., Kiefer, A. W., Logerstedt, D., & Micheli, L. J. (2015). Sport specialization, part I: does early sports specialization increase negative outcomes and reduce the opportunity for success in young athletes?. Sports Health, 7(5), 437-442.