Social justice allows individuals to express their rights within a society. If a government promotes social justice then this ensures that everyone can access healthcare, education, and employment and also has physical security. (BBC,2019)
According to ‘Sabbagh and Schmitt, “Models of social justice-distribute, divine, procedural, retributive and restorative- have been adopted to examine sport and physical education, based on the foci of investigation.” (Sabbagh & Schmitt, 2016)
Social justice is a philosophical and political concept that suggests that everyone should have equal access to well-being, justice, and opportunity. The terms social and justice can be interpreted as having two different meanings. The term justice can be associated with people’s backgrounds or their past performance in terms of them doing right or wrong. People will receive positive or negative sanctions which will be based on past performance. Social relates to a society or its organizations.
Social justice is not only a goal but also a process. It is important to allow equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet individual needs. (Bell, 2013)
Social justice allows people to have a voice and share their individual opinions on the formation, and evolution of social norms, policies, and practices. In order for social justice to exist, it is essential for each individual to have equal rights and dignity. (Bredemeier, 2019)
How does social justice apply to sports?
Social justice gives people broader opportunities in the sporting world and increases the distribution of opportunities and privileges for those who want to participate in sports. (Long, Fletcher, and Watson, 2017, 3).
We are able to see social justice being promoted through sports teams when they help each other to develop their own justice-embracing characters. Social justice has a powerful impact on individuals who take part in sports teams as it has a powerful impact on creating team cultures that can motivate and enable action for social justice.
Social justice allows people from all different backgrounds and ethnicities to participate in many different sports and be involved with different sports teams and clubs. It also allows people to develop a skill in a sport they enjoy whilst surrounded by others who share the same interests.
Social justice in sports has changed dramatically over the last 100 years. There are more sports that allow people from all genders, backgrounds, and ethnicities to take part in. There was particularly one moment in the history of the sport that changed people’s views and ideas of different ethnicities in sport, this was in the 1968 Olympics which was held in Mexico City, ‘American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised a black-gloved fist on the medal podium’ which called attention to racial discrimination in the united states and demanded justice. (Hartmann,2003a)
What is meant by a value-led approach to studying sports?
I believe that a value-led approach to studying sports is to allow all students to study sports without relating to race, gender, religion, socio-economic class, and gender identity. I believe that all students should stand up for social justice and it should be taught through classes and lectures to demonstrate the importance of social justice within sports. A value-led approach means that students should be taught not just about the specific area they want to study but also about diversity and social justice within the sports industry and how they can make a difference through research and becoming experts in these areas. When studying sports, it is important for a student to have an ‘open mind’ and to allow time to research different values and approaches in sports and what difference they can make in the sporting industry by exploring new ideas instead of sticking to traditional ones. (sportanddev.org.2019)
References
- BBC.(2019).BBCsocialjustice.[online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/topics/social_justice [Accessed 29 Oct. 2019].
- Bredemeier, B. L., & Shields, D. L. (2019). Social Justice, Character Education, and Sport: A Position Statement. Quest, 71(2), 202-214.
- Sabbagh & Schmitt, 2016, cited in Watson, Jarvie, and Parker, 2019, 114-115.
- Bell, 2013, 21, cited in Watson, Jarvie & Parker, 2019, 115
- Sportanddev.org. (2019). Sport and gender-sportanddev.org.[online]Available at:https://www.sportanddev.org/en/learn-more/sport-and-gender [Accessed 29 Oct. 2019].
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