Page 546 - Sociology and You

516 Unit 4 Social Institutions
Who Are the Biggest Baseball Fans?
Baseball fans used to be young working- class white males. Today’s fans are older and more affluent but still pre- dominantly white and male. The rela- tive lack of African American fans might be traced to baseball’s traditional racist policies on the field and in the front office.
District of Columbia
Interpreting the Map
1. Do you see any regional patterns in the rates of baseball viewership? Describe.
2. How do you explain these patterns?
3. As a baseball fan, are you similar to or different from the general pattern in your state? Why?
Adapted from Latitudes and Attitudes: An Atlas of American Tastes, Trends, Politics, and Passions. Boston: Little, Brown.
Sexism in Sport
Racial and ethnic minorities have not been the only victims of prejudice and discrimination in sport. Women have experienced sexism in athletics. The cultural roots of sexism date back at least as far as the ancient Greeks. Greek gods were depicted as athletic, strong, powerful, competitive, rational, physical, and intellectual. Many Greek goddesses were passive, beautiful, physically weak, supportive, unathletic, and sexually attractive. (The few ac- tive, strong goddesses were usually not attractive to nor attracted by men. To Greek males, women who were physically or intellectually superior to them were unfeminine.) These gender definitions have survived in large part for the past 2,500 years. Their influence is felt in sport just as it is in other as- pects of social life.
Regional Baseball Viewership on Television
High
Above average Below average Low