Sports, Health, and Societal Impact: Benefits, Risks, and Gender Considerations
ITEM 10: Sports and Health
The objective of sport is to encourage optimal health. The precautionary principles regarding the negative impact of sport on health are:
- Medical check prior to exercise.
- Stop at the onset of aches and pains.
- Focus on enjoyment rather than the result.
- Comply with safety measures.
- Avoid reckless actions.
- Avoid arguments, excessive competition, and violence.
- Consult with an expert regarding diet or alternative activities for health.
- Form an adjusted image of oneself that implies knowledge of one’s physical condition.
Values in Sports
Values in Competitive Sports
Triumph first, and then sportsmanship, dedication, cooperation…
Values in Sports Education
- The contents are tangible knowledge: physiological evidence of physical condition, nature activities, rhythmic activities…
- Through sport, one can develop a concern for other values (fair play, respect for the rules…).
Guidelines for physical activity: more participants and less competition. These include:
- Limitation of action of certain body parts in more expert participants to promote the participation of the less skilled.
- Limitation of the area or space of performance for some players.
- Teams can only try to score when the ball has been touched by all team members.
- The player who scores switches teams.
- In net sports, the focus is on keeping the game mobile rather than scoring.
- In tennis, the focus is not on the score, and the serve alternates without a designated side.
Values in Recreational Sports
Seeking personal satisfaction as the goal and promoting these values:
- Personal and mental hygiene.
- Hedonism.
- Imagination.
- Personal and social development.
Sport and Violence
Violence can be seen in two different contexts:
During sports: Sports language often uses terms of war, such as victory, enemy, defeat…
As a public reaction: Sport can be regarded as a cultural activity that diverts aggressive desires. Violence occurs when these desires are not met.
- The working class is angry: This class struggle is expressed through football, which has evolved from a popular game into a business out of reach of the masses.
- Young people are angry: Unemployment provides a further reason for young people to come to the stadium and engage in fights.
- Play groups become violent: Groups (unemployed, underpaid, disinterested, apathetic) take the stage to prove their worth.
- The prestige that fights provide.
- The blame game.
- The media: They make violent groups feel important because they are given attention.
- Fans identify with the suffering of their athletes.
Women in Sport
Myths about the relationship between women and sport:
- Sport masculinizes women.
- Sporting activities are dangerous for women.
- Women’s sports scores are mediocre.
- Women should only participate in what are considered women’s sports.
Aspects Negatively Affecting Women’s Sport
- Muscular development as an impediment to women’s sport.
- The health risk.
- Hidden curriculum exists, appearing as:
- Qualities.
- Use of language.
- Cheerleader expectations are often lower for women.
- Males occupy more space and function centrally.
- Grouping by sex.
- There is a tendency to make a gender classification of the material.
Topic 11: Pregnant Women
Pregnant women currently receive attention during pregnancy, both nationally and internationally. Physical activities, including aquatic exercises, are considered healthy. A pregnant woman is capable of engaging in activities with necessary physical adaptations to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Physical Capacity of Pregnant Women
Throughout pregnancy, cardiovascular modifications occur to meet the increasing demands for blood and oxygen for the uterus, placenta, and fetus. This increased blood volume leads to a rise in cardiac output, often by 20 beats per minute. Leg muscle pumping is crucial for maintaining venous return during exercise, especially in the final stages of pregnancy. There is a tendency for blood accumulation in the lower extremities, vulva, and anus, which may lead to hemorrhoids or varicose veins. When assessing exercise, it is important to consider the increase in body weight.
Exercise types: weight-bearing vs. non-weight-bearing exercises. Non-weight-bearing exercises do not require the body to support its own weight and are a preferable source of oxygen. Carbohydrates are the observed energy source during gestation. All these changes have implications for exercise. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the following considerations must be respected:
- Regular activity and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle are important.
- Aquatic exercises may be a good option.
- Unsupervised exercise should not exceed 140 beats per minute.
- Prevent musculoskeletal injuries by warming up and cooling down properly.
- Proper caloric intake and hydration are important.
- Avoid the supine position and the Valsalva maneuver.