Sport as a Social Spectacle

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis paper was to examine the relationship that exists between sports and society. Throughout all of the research that had been conducted, the author has drawn the conclusion that sports and society are closely related. The author started by examining the relationship between society and two specific sports events in history. Those two events were Jackie Robinson crossing the color barrier into Major League Baseball and the 1980 “Miracle on Ice”. The author chose these two events because of the great impact they had on society respectively. In addition, the author also outlined outside resources that teachers could use in the Social Studies curriculum that will further link sports and society. The author also put some additional focus on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing as they are recent events that will allow teachers to demonstrate the impact that these events had on both society and sports. The author concluded that sports and society are directly related to each other and can have an impact on one another.