Sports and the Individual

The functionalist theory asserts that sports promote social integration and individual development, with "elite" sports programs serving as role models for the young ("Theories of Society and Sport"). This theory has inherent weaknesses, namely that it "overstates the positive consequences of sport in society" and overlooks the fact that not all social groups benefit equally from sports ("Theories of Society and Sport"). It does make a valid point in seeing participation in sports as a way of developing cooperation and collaboration skills.

The conflict theory assumes that "society is determined by economic relations" and that "sports promote capitalism" ("Theories of Society and Sport"). This is a Marxist theory that sees sports for profit as a form of exploitation that takes advantage of class inequalities in both athletes and spectators but sees advantage is sports that are not played for profit ("Theories of Society and Sport"). This theory is rather narrow, in that it fails to consider any other basis for social life than that which is "economically determined," and it ignores all of the positive aspects of