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The socio- cultural background of the united states of America
Historical & Cultural Background
North American life have grown out of colonisation and continued with immigration, the opening up of new frontiers to the west industrialization and most recently the growth of mass consumerism. Inclusion of mass transport, mass media, mass production, mass entertainment.
America
The strongest Nation in the world

The American way of life
English colonists although sent packing in the war of independence, left behind the embryo of today’s system of education and traces of class although this is in it’s federal form
USA
Mainstream Social Values
Winners Takes all

There ain’t no prizes for second

Nice guy’s win nothing

These reflect the American attitude today. The pursuit of wealth producers losers
This is seen clearly in a society that appears to posses everything in the material sense but a rather greater number of “have nots” than you might expect in the worlds richest economy.
U.S.A.
AFFLUENT
MACHO
PROFESSIONAL
SERIOUS
COMPETITIVE
W.A.S.P
AMERICAN
DREAM
LOMBARDIAN PHILOSOPHY
COUNTER CULTURE ETHIC
Socio- Where you live
Culture- How you live
RADICAL ETHIC
PLURALIST POLICY
ENVIRONMENTAL AND TOPOLOGICAL FACTORS
Sheer scale of the land mass is advantageous economically and recreationally.
The warm climate in the south allows people to spend more time outside.
Not surprisingly lifestyles are reflected in hunting, fishing etc.
In the north which is focused towards heavy industry the climate is harsher recreational activities tend to be more industrialised and created environments.
TERRAIN AND RESOURCES
World’s 4th largest country
52 Autonomous states
3 main geographical areas:East Highlands, Middle Plains and West Mountains
Very rich mineral resources
Fertile soil, Productive for crops
Plenty of fresh water
COMMUNICATION
Network of inter state buses. Airline travel heavily used



Long distance between states mean that travelling to “Away” fixtures is difficult.

Radio and television companies almost entirely owned by private companies


CLIMATE
Varied: very cold in Alaska, semi tropical in Florida
Rainy coasts of Oregon, Dry lands of Mojave desert
POPULATION
3/4 of people live in cities
Standard of living amongst highest in the world:More time for Recreation than any other country
Egalitarian, Pluralistic and Multi-Cultural Society
HISTORY
Modern Society grew from string of British Colonies on East Coast
Pioneering Spirit of migration west during 19th century is important part of national character
NATIONALISM
A pluralist society and one that is very nationalistic
Many racial groups with strong sporting ties
POLITICAL
Republic, Elected President and 2 Houses
Capitalist Economy
FINANCE & RESOURCES
Capitalist Economy-Where the market rules-The American Dream of Rags to Riches- Epitomised by the Rocky stories
DISCRIMINATION
REGIONAL
Historical division of America is North/South- The old civil war race variable still remains
However there is also a major differential between East and west. Where the Eastern seaboard has a much greater affinity with Europe
class
No clear defined social class
Generally division works on status of settlement- Last immigrant group finds itself at the bottom of the social ladder
DISCRIMINATION
Gender
A little mixed- Feminism was born in the USA and is still very strong
The Frontier Spirit gave the American women a more dynamic role, but also produced a society with chauvinistic tendencies- Epitomised in the masculine sports scene
However women have very equal rights and there is very little gender discrimination in jobs and education
The only real discrimination is in sport- In most top sports, women are only there as cheerleaders
No where near the same amount of money is spent on women’s sport
DISCRIMINATION
Religion
Generally not much influence- Mainly due to such wide diversity of cultures and religions

race
Although a pluralist society- A lot of race discrimination
Black Athletes very prolific- But few Black coaches, quarter backs etc
Entertainment is one of the few Arenas in which Blacks can achieve
SUMMARY
America is the wealthiest country in the world
It has the highest standard of Recreational Provision
It has the Highest standard of performance
The USA is all about WINNING
The following are keywords you need to understand and be able to use when studying American sport.
Y.m.c.a.
the American dream
lombardian ethic
draft system
n.c.a.a.
b.u.n.a.c.
franchise
frontier spirit
pluralist policy
oath of allegiance
counter culture
radical ethic