INFLUENCING SOCIETY THROUGH SPORT

Abstract

Sport can be broadly defined as competitive, recreational, leisure, and physical activity. The complexity of sport is with regard to managing diverse forms of sport participation engaged by diverse members of a society. Society is a web of social relations which is always changing. A society is a group of people who are involved with each other (relationships, interaction, common interests) or share a common social territory (society’s boundaries may not be geopolitical borders), typically subject to a common political environment and similar cultural expectations (language, beliefs, values, way of life). Culture is a defining element of a society. Increase in participation in sport; of the players, organisers and spectators; has added benefits for society in general. These may range from individual fitness to addressing societal problems. Sport is a universal language and a tool to achieve broader objectives of education, social inclusion, or societal development. This paper makes an attempt to give a broad view of sport and society; and examines the impact of sport on society including pandemic conditions; based on empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions of existing research; to collate the outcomes for easier understanding and for future exploration.