16 | Chapter 1_/ The Essence of Sociology “ballpark figure,” “game plan,” “teamwork,” “cheap shot,” “go all the way," and so on. ‘What, then, is the nature of this powerful aspect of ur lives? From the three sociological perspectives, we can see that sports are beneficial to society in some ways, harmful in other ways, and, like any other social interaction, governed by individuals’ def- initions of each other's actions. 1 Sports as Beneficial to Society According to the functionalist perspective, sports contribute to the welfare of society by performing at least three major functions. Tirst, sports are conducive to success in other areas of life. Being competitive, sports inspire ath- letes to do their utmost to win, thereby helping them to develop such qualities as skill and ability, diligence and self-discipline, mental alertness, and physical fitness. These qualities can ensure success in the larger society. In the words of General Dou- glas MacArthur: “Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that, upon other fields, on other ays, will bear the fruits of victory.” In fact, while still in high school, athletes already benefit from playing interscholastic sports. As research by Beckett Broh (2002) shows, athletes turn the tables on the “dumb jock” stereotype by achieving higher grades in English and math than other students. Athletes also have higher self-esteom, friends who are more academically oriented, and stronger ties to their par- ents and school officials. These are qualities and experiences that will later help ensure success in career and other aspects of life. Second, sports enhance health and happiness. Par- ticipants can enjoy a healthy, long life. The health benefit is more than physical. It is also psychologi- cal. Runners and joggers, for example, often find that their activity releases tension and anger as well as relieves anxiety and depression. Moreover, many’ people derive much pleasure from looking on their participation as a form of beauty, an artistic expres- sion, or a way of having a good time with friends. Similarly, sports improve the quality of life for the spectators. Fans can escape their humdrum daily rou- tines or find pleasure in filling their leisure time, as many Americans do when watching baseball, long ‘known as the national pastime. They can savor the aesthetic pleasure of watching the excellence, beauty, and creativity in an athlete's performance. The fans can therefore attain greater happiness, life satistac- tion, or psychological well-being (Smith, 1996). Third, sports contribute to social order and stabil- ity by serving as an integrating force for society as.a whole. Sports are, in effect, a social mechanism for uniting potentially disunited members of society. MORE THAN FUN AND GAMES To functionalist, sports help atheletes develop such qualities as skill and ability, dil gence and self-discipline, mental alertness, and physical fit- ‘ness, which in tum help athelates be successful in the larger sodery. ‘Through their common interest in a famous athlete or team, people of diverse racial, social, and cultural backgrounds can feel a sense of homogeneity, com- munity, or intimacy that they can acquire in no other way. Athletes, too, can identify with their fans, their community, and their country. lH Sports as Harmful to Society According to the conflict perspective, sports harm society by serving the Interests of the relatively pow- erful over those of the powerless in at least two ways. First, sports tend to act as an oplate, numbing the masses’ sense of dissatisfaction with capitalist soc ety. Involvement in sports as spectators tends to dis- tract low-paid or unemployed workers from their tedious and dehumanizing jobs or frustrating job-