Nina Vlah

K8346753

Part 1: Essay
'Sport is an arena where the connections between body an social categories are
played out. What forms of evidence have been used in DD102 to support the claim.'

Even though bodies are mostly studied in biology and medicine, they are essential for
social science too. (Woodward, 2014, p. 39) Physical appearance is how people first present
themselves to society, but depending on social norms; they will be defined. (Woodward,
2014, p.40) Bodies distinguish people from one another, but not everyone has the same
possibility. (Woodward, 2014, p.40) It may be a result of class, gender, disability, education,
birthplace, etc. (Woodward, 2014, p. 45) This essay will examine different aspects of sport
and what determines an individual's participation in it. Also, it will give evidence that sport is
a big part of the business world. Furthermore, what disability means in relation to sport and
how technology adjacent to the body can constitute a 'superhuman'. Additionally, how gender
creates inequality, especially in sport. Lastly, how sport can contribute to gaining discipline
and for weel-being. It will conclude that sport is a network where body and social categories
intertwine, leading to connections or disconnections.
Sport is a significant contributor to the economy; in other words, as Kath Woodward
said: „Sport is big business.“ (Woodward, 2014, p.44) There is also evidence that supports
that claim from Sport England (2013a), which measured that in 2010 sport and all related
activities generated £20.3 billion of Gross Value Added (GVA), which is 1.9 percent of the
total for England. It overtakes sectors such as insurance, telecoms services, legal services,
and accounting. (Woodward, 2014, p.44) It is evident that in sport are many ways for
achievement in different departments; however, not for everyone, both will be discussed in
the following paragraphs.
In sport, there are many inequalities in the form of race, gender, and disabilities. What
is positive is that now, except for the Olympic games, there are also Paralympics, which
allow disabling people to participate. However, the impact of the visibility of Paralympics for
athletes with disabilities remains uncertain. The survey by Sport and Recreation Alliance
(SRA) in October 2012 reported 89% of clubs claimed no increase in number of people with
disability joining (cited in House of Lords, 2013, p55) and SRA’s October 2013 survey
showed that only 35% of the clubs had relevant equipment for disabled people in the first
place(Woodward, 2014, p.55). This quantitative evidence shows inequality in terms of
disability. The next paragraph will show how disability, when combine with technology, can
offer better possibilities.
Today, technology is a big part of society. It can create opportunities for people who
otherwise could not have it. Oscar Pistorius case is an example of how his disability when
merging with technology gave him an advantage. He lost both his legs when he was just a
baby, and because of his class, he was able to afford shock-absorbing carbon-fiber
prosthetics, called 'cheetah blades'. (Woodward, 2014, p. 62) He competed in two able-bodied
athletics meetings in 2007. However, unfortunately, the International Association of
Athletics Federations (IAAF) disqualified him because his prosthetics were seen as an unfair
advantage. (Woodward, 2014, p. 62)
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Nonetheless, in 2008 he was qualified to participate at the Olympic Games in Beijing

against non-disabled athletes. (Woodward, 2014, p. 62) Donna Harraway, cited in Woodward
(2014, p.63), has defined the advancement of technology and science as 'technoscience'. It
offers new connections to humans with disabilities, making them more than just natural.
(Woodward, 2014, p.63) Oscar's story is also an illustration of what does it mean to be
privileged and what effect does social class has on an individual's life. How gender defines in
which category can an individual be, and what disadvantages may it have will be discussed
next.
Caster Semenya is a South African 800m athlete, and her story is a display of issues
between sex and gender. (Woodward, 2014, p.68) She was competing at the World Athletics
Championship in Berlin, where she won 800 meters. (Woodward, 2014, p.68) Due to her
manly physical characteristics, she was suspended until it became clear if she was a man or a
woman. (Woodward, 2014, p.68) Her case raised questions of inequality. South African
sports authorities recognized unfair practice, which led them to think that she would be
treated differently if she was white. (Woodward, 2014, p.68) This represents how one's
physical features can have a negative impact on social life, even though it is those features
that are valued more, but if it is not natural, it does not count. For the reason that Semenya
had more testosterone than estrogen in her gene code, she was put to the margins of the
society, where they were wrongfully placed disabled and disaffected because they are not a
part of a community which represents hegemonic masculinity. (Connell cited in Woodward,
2014, p.66) 147 What Raewyn Connel meant by the concept of hegemonic masculinity is that
it is often more valued than femininity because it is more aggressive and more exciting and
leads to a general stereotypical opinion, which can often discourage those in a marginal
group. (Woodward, 2014, p.66) On the other side, sport as a recreation can offer a wide
range of advantages which will be examined in the next paragraph.
Social norms are supported in sport by different systems and organizations (press,
journalists, fans, athletes, managers, trainers, promoters), promoting a culture with strict rules
of who can be a part of it and exclude all who are not. (Woodward, 2014, p.66) Women, gay
men, or men that are not 'macho' and people with disabilities might feel uncomfortable
engaging in sport-related activities because they do not meet the requirements. There is often
present a feeling of shame and embarrassment. For that reason, it is crucial to break the
stigma that sport is not for everyone. Asian women's community and their effort to create a
place where they can connect is a positive example of how there can be a different approach
to sport, without specific rules. Recreational sport has many benefits, gaining confidence,
new connections, relaxation, mental and physical strength. It can encourage everyone to
acquire a positive body image, not depending on what is approved in the society.
This essay has shown that sport significantly contributes to the economy, with
supporting evidence that 1.9 percent of Gross Value Added (GVA) is income from the sport.
It also showed inequality concerning Paralympics. Even though it is more accessible now for
disabled people to engage in sports activities, there are still not enough clubs that have
equipment for them. On the other hand, the story of Oscar Pistorius showed that when an
individual is white and wealthy, his disability does not have to be an obstacle, moreover
merging technology with science can give him an 'unfair advantage'. In contrast, Caster
Semenya was disqualified because of her 'manly physique', presumably because she was
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black and poor because she would probably be treated differently if it was the opposite. Asian
women practicing a sport for recreation have shown a different aspect of the sport, where
everyone can participate. It comes naturally to conclude that in sports, body and social
categories determine the outcome, making connections or disconnections. Nevertheless, it
can offer a lot to an individual, at least physical and mental health.
Word count: 1184

Part 2: Forum posting

I think the most significant benefit of the forum is connecting with other students and
tutors. Since we study online, it is nice to have a place where all of us can share our thoughts
and struggles so we do not feel like we are on our own. It is also a network of knowledge and
different approaches. What would improve the forum, is presumably more engagement from
students, as I must admit, myself also because I still do not use it as much as I would like to.
Even though I read every week, I do not post.
Word count: 99

Part 3: Self-reflection
Even though my experience of using the cluster group forum is minimal, for the
reason that I do not engage actively, it helped me more than few times with different TMA’s.
I enjoy reading the forum every week, it gives me a sense I am a part of an academic
community. Why I did not posted anything is probably because I do not post on any social
media, however, I would like to change that because I want to utilize everything Open
University is giving us and connect with other students and tutors to get the most from this
experience.
Word count: 100
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Reference list:

Connell, R.W. (2005) Masculinities, in Clarke, J. and Woodward, K. (eds) Understanding

Social Lives, Part Two, Milton Keynes, The Open University

The Open University (2020) ‘Participation in sport’ [online], DD102 Introducing the Social
Sciences. Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?
id=1559468&section=6 (12th May 2020)

The Open University (2020) ‘Revising references’ [online], DD102 Introducing the Social
Sciences. Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?
id=1559468&section=3(10th May 2020)

The Open University (2020) ‘Top tips for working with evidence’ [online], DD102
Introducing the Social Sciences. Available at:
https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1559470&section=5 (18th May 2020)

The Open University (2020) ‘Working with numbers 4: Moving between percentages and raw
data’ [online], DD102 Introducing the Social Sciences. Available at:
https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1559468&section=7 (14th May 2020)

Woodward, K. (2014) 'Bodies, Places and Rules', in Clarke, J. and Woodward, K. (eds)
Understanding Social Lives, Part Two, Milton Keynes, The Open University