Reflective Pebble Pad Portfolio Report PDF

Preview

Summary

Example of Reflective PebblePad Portfolio Report coursework assessment...

Description

Reflective PebblePad Portfolio Report As part of this assignment I led a seminar on drugs in sport, this linked into one of the four major concepts developed in the lectures - sports deviance. Deviance can be explored using to many different theories, I will focus on the functionalist and conflict theories. The functionalist theory suggests deviance is the departure from cultural ideals and goals. However discrepancies can arise over the importance of certain goals, making it hard to identify deviant acts (Coakley, 2001). It is also possible for deviancy to occur as a result of over conforming to cultural ideals. A study by Nash (1987) highlights actions such as athletes overtraining when they are injured as being forms of over conforming. Over conformity is when there is an unquestioned acceptance by athletes of their goals in their pursuit of success. Its Fascist themes and tendencies cause athletes to be willing to do anything to win, and accept no limits (Ballard, 1996). As stated in my PebblePad, this is where performance enhancing drugs enter the picture. If over conforming athletes are willing to do anything for success, making sacrifices and putting themselves at risk become a norm within the sport, meaning athletes are unlikely to see taking performance enhancing substances as deviant because they will assist this path to success (Coakley, 2001). An example of this is road cycling in the 90s where doping was so prevalent it was considered by not only the athletes, but the whole sport as a norm. In order to win, or be anywhere near winning you had to be doping, and everyone was doing it so it became accepted - it became a norm. As I mentioned another way of interpreting deviance is the conflict theory. Which in simple terms is believing that economic power exploits labour. In relation to sports deviancy the theory argues rules in sport reflect the interests of those in power, stating individuals are victims of being labelled deviant when those in power are also being deviant but because they have the resources to resist being labelled deviant they can essentially get away with whatever they want (Coakley, 2001). This theory however also has its setbacks, because it is unlikely deviance in sport would be eradicated if the athletes themselves were in power. It doesn't matter who is in power; unless the norms of sports are critiques drugs will remain prevalent (Shogan and Ford, 2000). It seems to remain virtually impossible to challenge the norms of sport however when clubs, teams, federations and even countries are persist with placing unfathomable pressure on athletes to achieve victory. An example of this is the state run doping programme run by the Russian government which came into full affect at the London Olympics in 2012. The Russian government were so hell bent on achieving victory to glorify the country and make them look dominant on the world stage that it could be argues the athletes were victims rather than villains. A reluctance by other "sports powers" such as Australia

and Canada to investigate their own athletes also highlights how difficult it is to clean up sport and break the doping norm (Houlihan, 1999). Our group led seminar began by us showing the audience a short three minute video about drugs. The video highlighted several key drugs used in sports and the affect they have on the body, after this video we proceeded to ask some though provoking questions to the group, based upon some of the issues discussed by Houlihan (2003). Our first presentation did not go well, a small audience were reluctant to engage in the discussion and the delivery of the presentation on the whole was lacking with some key points on the topic being missed. Despite this early knock to confidence, second time round the presentation went very well, with discussions on the questions we had raised being extremely thought provoking and interesting. We then discussed the formation of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) after the 1998 Tour de France and the scandal which became known as the "Festina Affair". The first questioned posed to the group was; 'Why are some drugs allowed in sport and others not?' For instance why is it caffeine is accepted in sport but EPO is not when both have performance enhancing effects. At first there was no clear answer however the general consensus was that caffeine is accepted in sport because it is a drug found in every day products such as coffee. On the surface this answer seems satisfactory but if we take it deeper it has to be asked why is taking caffeine (a drug) socially accepted in day-to-day life and not steroids? Why is it seen as deviant for someone to be walking down the street taking steroids? The main reason for this is that steroids have negative health impacts, and this is one of the reasons Houlihan gives for why doping is frowned upon. This reason is challenged by Waddington (2000) as he states athletes know participation in sport itself is a risk to health and wellbeing, so they see taking drugs as less of an issue as other people. Another argument given is that doping is frowned upon because cheating is morally wrong (Houlihan, 2003). Every person in the seminar group agreed, with all of them saying they would not take drugs even if they knew it would make them the best in the world at their sport, it was interesting to see Houlihan's argument supported by my peers. Was I do lead another seminar in the future I would want to have read more to give a greater weight of evidence to the points made. For example Coakley (2001) was not referenced in the presentation, yet this text provides lots of key points so should have been used. Another area for improvement would be having a more obvious conclusion, ending with a few key points for people to take away. 'Sports Deviancy' was one of the four main themes discussed in lectures, which has links to one of the other themes which was 'Sport, Media and the Economy'. Smith (1983) explains how sports violence is accepted as 'part of the game' but how it can rub off on fans. Before studying the topic I

would have assumed the same thing is happening with drugs in sport. Media coverage of sports icons can inspire people but also put pressure on them to be great as well and also improve body image. So it would not be unreasonable to assume that increasing media coverage of drugs in sport and such a strict media perception of body image has led to an increase of recreational steroid use. This is not the case however, a study by Roberts (2010) showed lifetime steroid users had actually decreased. I personally found this link between my assigned seminar topic of drugs in sport and the lecture topic of sports, media and the economy very interesting. It raises many questions such as, is the media exposing sport? And if it is, is this a good or a bad thing. Roberts' (2012) study provides evidence it could be a good thing in terms of the increased coverage of drugs actually deterring recreational athletes from using drugs, however more studies would need to be carried out for this theory to be fully credited. Globalisation is one of the reasons sports news, including doping related issues, can be broadcast so quickly and over such a large area. During the lecture I came up with my own definition of globalisation, which is that is the process of the world being more interlinked with boundaries between people and countries being broken down. This definition can be found on my PebblePad. The reason for this breaking down of worldwide boundaries is new media. New media is a break from traditional print media and includes radio, film and television amongst other means (Coakley, 2001). The term "sportainment" was coined by Lipsyte (1996) in reference to the way in which television constructs sports and viewer experiences, but that it happens so smoothly most people don't realise they are not viewing sport in its natural form. This gives evidence for sport and media having a symbiotic relationship, in which the media benefits from sport as it provides something to broadcast, and sport benefits from the media as it makes it more entertaining and promotes it to the mass population from the comfort of their own home (Coakley, 2001). This symbiotic relationship theory is drawn from my PebblePad. The embracement of new media by big sports brands has acted as a catalyst for globalisation, social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook give businesses a platform to share news, products and results to the whole world in a matter of a few clicks on a computer. The ease in which information can travel around the whole world is one of the major factors in the breaking down of barriers I mentioned previously, giving people virtual access to almost unlimited information (McDaniel and Sullivan, 1998). Live updates of games and matches also shows how new media has benefitted sport, as teams can connect with fans all over the world who aren't even in the same country as the game. This is evident in my own life, where I can track how Team Sky Cycling are performing at any race in any country. Even if there is no television coverage, social media sites and live updates keep me

informed of results from Australia to Qatar. Being born into a world of new media, this theme has opened my eyes to how sport was before, something I had never thought about before. Something that has always intrigued me is why do people stop playing sport? As I have experienced this in my own life. After having a discussion with a peer in which they explained to me how playing rugby for them was their personal agency, because at their school the general social structure was that boys played football my mind was opened greatly. I came to realise how I had become caught in a social structure, and how oppositely to my peer I had been drawn into rugby primarily because all my friends played. I can apply personal agency to my own life when at fifteen I decided to stop playing rugby and pursue cycling, because it was something I enjoyed, and not because it was what my friends did. This links backs to norms, social structure are usually defined by norms, and following your agency can involve breaking away from these norms which in my case was doing cycling not rugby. Mills (1959) explains how people cannot cope with their personal troubles in a way that controls structural transformations, this links back to my example, where for the early part of my life I let structural determine my personal choices. Another impact on my decision to quit rugby could be down to the term "burnout", this term defines the decision of adolescents to quit sport even after achieving good success .Burnout occurs when athletes feel they have lost control over developing identities in aspects of their lives other than sports. A one-dimensional life with high stress and discipline leads to burnout (Coakley, 1992). Referring back to my PebblePad portfolio (Koukouris, 1994) has a different view to Coakley, categorising the primary reason for quitting sport as needing to get a job and supporting one's self. Reason for disengaging in sport was never directly discussed in lectures however it is a product of agency against structure. And a decision to disengage from competitive sport is one of personal agency as up until this point an athlete's life would have been built completely around the social structure of the specific sport (Coakley, 2001). The theme of why people drop out of sport has been very interesting me as I had always been curious but never known the answers, after studying the topic I now am satisfied with my understandings of some of the key reasons why people drop out of sport. The burnout theory is something I can apply to my own life, to ensure I balance my cycling with other aspects of my life so I don't grow tired of it and begin to disengage from it.

PebblePad Link: https://v3.pebblepad.co.uk/spa/#/public/sHtWwMdn4jq9Gbbny4rZHf5dyZ

Reference List Ballard, S. (1996). Broken back doesn't stall Indy winner. USA Today, 28 May, A1. Coakley, J. (2001). Sport in society: Issues and controversies, 7. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book Co. Coakley, J. (1992). Burnout among adolescent athletes: A personal failure or social structure problem? Sociology of Sport Journal 9 (3): 271-85 Houlihan, B. (1999). Dying to win: Doping in sport and the development of anti-doping policy. Germany. Council of European Publishing Houlihan, B. (2003). Sport and society: A student introduction. London, UK: SAGE Publications Ltd. Koukouris, K. (1994). Constructed case studies: Athletes' perspectives of disengaging from organized competitive sport. Sociology of Sport Journal 10 (3): 114-39 Lipsyte, R. (1996). Little girls in a staged spectacle for big bucks? New York Times, 4 August, 28 McDaniels, S. R., Sullivan, C. B. (1998). Extending the sports experience: Mediations in cyberspace. Media Sport, 266-81, edited by L. A. Wenner. London/New York: Routledge. Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Nash, H. L. (1987). Do compulsive runners and anorectic patients share common bonds? The Physician and Sportsmedicine 15 (12): 162-67. Roberts, P. K. (2010). Steroid Use and Abuse. New York, NY: Nova Biomedical Books. Shogan, D., Ford, M. (2000). A new sports ethics. International Review for the Sociology of Sport 35 (1): 49-58. Smith, M. D. (1983). Violence and Sport. Toronto, ON: Butterworths. Waddington, I. (2000). Sport and health: A sociological perspective. Handbook of sports studies, 40321, edited by J. Coakley and E. Dunning. London: Sage....