Sports and Society

Course Essential Questions

• How do sport activities help prepare students for future careers in sports or other professions?
• What role does sportsmanship (ethics) play in professional sports?
• How has discrimination impacted amateur and professional sports?
• How has "Big Business" impacted professional sports?

Course Learning Objectives

• Explain the role sports play, and have played in society.
• Place significant events of the sports world into a historical context.
• Examine the impact of sports on contemporary culture and our own lives.
• Apply current events in the world of sports to the themes of the course and discuss social impact.
• Examine the economic element of sports in the United States and around the World.

Unit 1: A Life in Sports (Weeks 1-4)

Unit Level Essential Question

How do sports help prepare students for future careers in sports or other professions?

Week 1:Introduction to Sports and Society

• Meet your classmates and get comfortable navigating in D2L.
• Examine the social impact of sports on society.
• Consider the history of a sport by exploring a virtual Hall of Fame.

Week 2: Youth Sports

• Reflect on the positive and negative role of parents in youth sports.
• Examine the value and purpose of sports awards and trophies, both for individuals and societies.
• Research the impact of sports on your local community through interviews.

Week 3: College Sports

• Consider and debate the issue of whether college varsity athletes should be paid.
• Examine contemporary sports issues through a current event.
• Examine the impact of sports on your local community through research and interviews.

Week 4: Careers in Sports

• Place professional sports salaries in proper perspective
• Identify and explain different careers in sports
• Research the impact of sports on your local community through research and interviews

Unit 2: Ethics in Sports (Weeks 5-8)

Unit Level Essential Question

What role does sportsmanship (ethics) play in professional sports?

Week 5: Owners and Coaches

• Evaluate the use of Native American Mascots in Sports.
• Define Sportsmanship and apply the concept to team owners and coaches.
• Evaluate how high school prepares you for a life in sports.

Week 6: Health and Safety

• Apply the concept of Sportsmanship to drug use in sports.
• Examine violence in sports and the impact on society.
• Apply the concept of Sportsmanship to healthcare in sports.
• Apply a current event to the themes of this course.

Week 7: Players and Community

• Evaluate the athlete as a role model in society.
• Explain the athlete's role in activism.
• Apply the concept of Sportsmanship to specific athletes.
• Make a claim and defend that claim with evidence.

Week 8: Sports Fans and Ethics

• Apply the concept of Sportsmanship to fans and supporters.
• Synthesize your ideas about sportsmanship into a visual presentation.

Unit 3: Discrimination in Sports (Weeks 9-11)

Unit Level Essential Question:

How has discrimination impacted amateur and professional sports?

Week 9: Breaking the Gender Barrier

• Place Title IX in the context of history.
• Examine the impact of Title IX on society and the individual.
• Apply a current event to the themes of the course.

Week 10: Breaking the Race Barrier

• Evaluate various ways racial barriers are broken down in sports.
• Explain racial barriers throughout history.
• Evaluate the impact of Title IX on society and the individual.

Week 11: Breaking the Disability Barrier

• Identify why it is crucial that persons with disabilities are given equal opportunities in athletics.
• Identify the U.S. The Paralympics athlete who inspires you the most, and explain why.
• Predict how discrimination will impact amateur and professional sports in the future.

Unit 4: The Business of Sports (Weeks 12-15)

Unit Level Essential Question:

How has "Big Business" impacted professional sports?

Week 12: Big Business

• Describe how athlete endorsements work.
• Research the costs to attend a Major League Baseball game.
• Suggest changes to how the professional sports business works.

Week 13: Monopolies, Billionaires, and Stadiums

• Evaluate the NFL as a monopoly and identify the impacts on the economy.
• Identify the costs of attending an MLB game.
• Apply a current event to the themes of this course.

Week 14: Nonprofits

• Define a nonprofit and determine if professional sports should be classified as one.
• Create a new league for a minor sport.
• Prepare for your final exam.

Week 15: The Finish Line

• Identify your favorite sports quote and explain why it is a great quote.
• Identify books and films you will read in the future.
• Apply what you have learned in this course to the major themes of the course.