THE MEANING OF SPORT

Workshop linked to the Comenius Project “Sport as means of integration”

School Year 2006-2007

Presentation

        In the Comenius Project context, teachers and pupils have worked on the subject “The meaning of sport”.·        Pointing out the values of sport through activities and projects has been the aim of the project. ·        Here are the main targets:1.    being aware that practising a sport means working hard to better oneself;2.    trying one’s strengths means surpassing one’s limits;3.    sport means education to life so it must be a model;4.    sport and social integration must be considered synonymous;5.    the real personal growth and the cultural improvement lie in accepting the differences; 

School Survey

· Which sport is most practised among your friends of the same age (11-15 years)?

·Who has chosen that sport for them (parents, friends, teachers…)?

· If you had to choose a sport different from the one you are practising, which one would you choose? Why?

Survey results

1. Most of the boys (about 78%) practise football because their friends do it or because their parents advised to do it;

2.  12% practises swimming; 3.  10% practises various activities.

The girls usually practise volleyball or swimming.

35% of them doesn’t practise any sport because they prefer dancing or music.

Do you know

Do you know that sport often satisfies some psychological aspects?

The most important are:

Ø     leadership, competition and aggressiveness;

Ø     self-accomplishment;

Ø     socialization;

Ø     narcissism, exhibitionism.

People choose a sport according to different motivation which vary from person to person.

Leadership, competition, aggressiveness

Those aspects are particularly evident in athletics whose aim is to predominate on the opponents.

In the athletics aggressiveness is sublimated in order to win.

Self-accomplishment

Practising a sport is a way to know oneself and one’s limit, to acquire more self-control and self-confidence.

Practising a sport moreover, can also be a way to compensate one’s inferiority complex.

Socialization

Sport, especially the team one, allows contact among people. In this way communication, cooperation and mutual exchange are encouraged.

 

Narcissism and exhibitionism

In some sports activities such as gymnastics, body building and diving, visual aspect is very important.

The performance becomes a real show when the athletes exhibit not only their abilities but also their bodies.

Clothes and costumes the athletes wear are specially made to show off their well-shaped figures

Social and economic aspects of sport

Prestige and money are also important aspects an athlete takes into consideration when choosing a sport.

Nowadays sex isn’t a discriminant any more for choosing a sport as it was in the past.

Cultural and ideological believes can affect the choice of a sport.

Ecologists for example prefer open-air sports activities (sailing, trekking, climbing, underwater…).

Non-violent people prefer low aggressiveness sports such as track and field and gymnastics.

Particular features in sport

Sports can be divided into categories according to their features:

§        Individual sports in which the winner is the one who beats the opponent (boxing);

§        Territory conquest sports: the teams compete for the supremacy. You win when the ball is in the net for football, and in the basket for basketball;

§        Endurance sports: they are sports requiring a long lasting effort endurance and ability to husband the forces. Some examples of these sports are: running, marching, skiing, swimming, cycling.

Particular features in sport

§ Aestethics supremacy sports: gymnastics,skating ,diving § Physical supremacy sports. The aim is to demonstrate the

superiority of an athlete over another one through physical performances linked to a particular bodily activity.

Examples:100 metres, high jumping, long jumping, weight-lifting.

Destiny challenge sports. They are characterized by a high level of risk and danger. Examples: car racing and motor racing.

Nature sports in which nature plays an important role. Examples:canoeing,sailing,horse riding, climbing. performances linked to a particular bodily ability.