SUNY Brockport Survival of Traditional Sports & Cultural Imperialism Discussion
I’m studying for my Sports Management class and don’t understand how to answer this. Can you help me study?
After reading Guttmann’s readings The Survival of Traditional Sports and Cultural Imperialism? and the Diffusion, Imperialism, & Hegemony Power Point, consider the following scenario:
You are the Minister of Sport & Physical Activity for a country whose people have, up till now, chosen to only participate in the set of indigenous traditional sports that they believe accurately represent the nation’s values and identity. Recently, however, with the advances in media technology, the population has become more aware of Modern sports with a global following, like soccer and basketball. As of yet, no organized Modern sport programs exist within your country, but it is clear from informal sport participation trends that younger generations of athletes will be requesting such programs soon.
As Minister of Sport & Physical Activity, you see it as your responsibility to protect and preserve the nation’s cultural traditions, and fear that if people begin to play Modern sports, they will abandon the traditional sports so central to the country’s national identity. That said, there are benefits to participation in Modern sports, and they are so interesting and enticing to the youth that it will be difficult to ban them from playing them.
The Prime Minister has asked you take a stand and argue for or against the development of organized Modern Sport programs in your country. In your initial post, develop the case you would present to the Prime Minister . Would you advocate for allowing people to play modern sports even though they appear to be a threat to traditional ones? Or would you argue against these new sport programs at the risk of alienating younger generations?
