Social sphere and sports
What is the society’s attitude towards sports? How can sports form a society, city, region or a country? How do sports contribute to local identity? To what extent does urbanization influence sport activities? What is the relationship among the number of athletes, their performance, demography and social conditions? Is it true that higher educative environment stimulates more athletes for better achievements? What is the background of high achievers’ migration? Who attend sport events? What can be the reasons for liking or disliking certain sports in some areas of the world? The close connection between sports and society raise many questions regarding geography. Here only few of them will be looked at.
Becoming athletes mainly depends on the socio-cultural and socio-economic factors of a nation. The athletes’ way of life, values, social relations and financial needs influence their choice and achievements (Földesiné Szabó, Gy., 1999). The data gained in Hungary prove that the children who go in for sports live under good circumstances, per capita income is high in their families, they live in bigger flats/houses and have educated parents (Bánáti, F. 2003). In Egressy’s view (2005) swimming as a competitive sport is chosen by upper middle class parents’ children, but the number of wealthy families’ children is also growing nowadays. Becoming athletes is also determined by the number of the population. Globalization and commercialization have loosened local fidelity which characterized sports for many decades. And due to these phenomena world class athletes’ migration has speeded up (Dóczi, T. 2007).
It is a well known fact that the development of sports is in relation with demographic changes as well as with urbanization. 13 out of 100 inhabitants of the world lived in cities and metropolises at the beginning of 1900 and by 1960 this number changed into 32 and nowadays it has increased up to 52. The consequence of getting acclimatized to the urban circumstances is that the space and territories of sports have narrowed down and this process has increased the ever growing demand for sports. Those sport activities have become popular which can be done in smaller places among the high walls of residential areas, for example, basket ball, street and valley ball, skateboarding and aerobic. It has been shown out that young people’s motor abilities concerning strength, stamina, speed and coordination surpass children’s physical capacity that live in smaller towns or places. Their fitness is higher due to their different way of life which allows more physical activities (Bánhidi, M. 2011).
With the growing number of cities and urban population in the developing countries over-population appears which, besides the problems of nutritional care and social tensions, cause the conscription of places for sports. These changes are associated with the underdevelopment of sport-infrastructure and the worsening health condition of these populations.
Athletes’ achievements and numbers are in connection with welfare indicators, such as education, quality life and basic needs. Improving financial and life conditions and the scientifically put up diets have resulted in successfulness and better sport performances. Although there is a significant relation between, for example the Olympic awarded medals and the number of populations of a nation (Bernard, A. B.-Busse, M. R. 2004). Still most medals are won by the wealthier countries.
One of the main reasons of athletes’ migration is the better living standards and preparation conditions. It is evident that the athletes who live from sports go to sport clubs where they are paid very well (Gaffney, C. 2014).
It may happen that world class athletes cannot help leaving their own country because of political reasons. This can be exemplified with the case of Turkish Naim Szulejmanoglu who won his gold medals for Bulgaria.