Socio-Cultural Issues and Health and Well-being

Sport, society and staying well

Sport is never just about winning. It sits inside society, shaped by money, the media and the way people behave, and it is closely tied to health and well-being. This topic has two halves. The first is the socio-cultural side: the factors that affect who takes part, the way big money and television have commercialised sport, and the difference between fair play and bending the rules, including why banned drugs have no place in sport. The second is health and well-being: the physical, emotional and social sides of health, and how staying active supports all three. This module covers both halves so you can explain how sport, society and personal health fit together.

Socio-cultural and health words

Learn these five terms before you apply them to sport and health.

Match each sport issue to what it means

Sportsmanship against gamesmanship

Fair play and bending the rules pull sport in opposite directions. Tell them apart.

Fair play or not?

Two players collide and one stays down injured. A player on the other team kicks the ball out of play so the injured player can be treated. What is this an example of?

• Sportsmanship
• Gamesmanship
• Commercialisation
• Deviance

Why drugs are banned in sport

Performance-enhancing drugs are banned from sport for three clear reasons, and it is worth being able to state all three. First, they are a form of cheating: an athlete who takes them gains an advantage that fair competitors do not have, so the result no longer reflects genuine ability and effort. Second, they are dangerous to the health of the athlete, who risks serious harm for the sake of a result. Third, they damage the spirit of sport and the trust of fans, who want to believe that what they are watching is real. This is why sport tests for banned substances and punishes those who use them. When you write about deviance, name the unfairness, the health risk and the loss of trust together.

Pick the true facts about sport and society

Select every statement about the socio-cultural side of sport that is true.

• Sponsorship is a business funding a sport in return for promotion
• The media raises the profile of sport and its role models
• Performance-enhancing drugs are banned as a form of cheating
• Gamesmanship means always playing within the spirit of the game
• A sedentary lifestyle means being very physically active

Order how sport reaches your screen

Put the stages of how money flows through commercial sport in a sensible order.

• A sport becomes popular with fans
• The media pays to broadcast it
• Large audiences attract sponsors
• Sponsors pay the sport and its stars
• The extra money is invested back into the sport

Complete the health and society facts

A business funding a sport in return for promotion is _____. Bending the rules to gain an unfair edge is _____. Feeling good and coping with stress is _____ health. A way of living with very little physical activity is a _____ lifestyle.

A garden left untended

Think of a garden. Left completely untended, with nobody ever walking its paths or turning its soil, it does not simply stay the same. The paths grow over, the soil hardens, and the whole plot slowly seizes up. Give it regular attention, though, and it stays open, healthy and full of life. A human body is much the same. When it is used regularly it stays strong in the body, steady in the mind, and connected to other people through shared activity. When it is left idle for far too long, all three of those slowly suffer together. This is why staying active matters not only for muscles but for mood and for friendship too, and why the healthy choice is a life with regular movement in it.

Tap the benefits of being active

Tap every item below that is a benefit of a regularly active life.

• a stronger heart and muscles
• a better mood and less stress
• meeting people through a team
• spending all day sitting still

The sport and society run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer.

Handle the sport issue

Read each situation and choose the best answer.

• An athlete is offered a banned drug that would improve their results. What is the right choice?
• A local club wants more people to take part, but many cannot afford the fees. What could help?
• A friend sits still all day and says they feel low. What might support their well-being?

Build a health and sport point

Choose the word for each gap to complete one accurate point about health and sport.

Explain sport, society and health

A friend thinks sport is only about winning. Explain clearly how sport connects to society and to health and well-being.

• Explain two factors that affect who takes part in sport
• Explain how commercialisation, sponsorship and the media affect sport
• Explain the difference between sportsmanship and gamesmanship
• Explain why performance-enhancing drugs are banned
• Explain the three types of health and how being active supports them