The purpose of this study in the article Anderson (2008) was to see if girls with disabilities who competed in sport received more social support than those who were involved in a physical activity. The purpose of this was to show how important organized sport is to disabled people, most particularly girls because they have the proposed “double whammy,” as Anderson (2008) phrased it on page 1 which means that they are both women and have a disability. So for these women it is important to have a good level of social support from family, friends and coaches.
The study found that women who competed in the organized sports like the wheelchair basketball games had a stronger level of support than those who were just involved in the regular activity. Particularly Anderson (2008) points out Morgan who was one of the girls in the basketball program and when it came to the question about role models she referred to her basketball coach who was in a wheelchair herself and it inspired her to join the team. This differed from the control group in that they struggled to identify a strong role model in their life. What I take out of this is that it is important for disabled people, particularly girls, to be involved in some type of organized sport program if they so choose. Organized sport promotes physical activity, enhances social support in that parents and coaches back their children in a way that makes them part of a team and not so much focused on the disability. This means that girls who compete in these types of programs feel as if they belong and are equal to other athletes who play their sport because they are competing against the best of the disabled type. Girls who were in the informal group had an opposite reaction according to Anderson (2008); they felt that those closest to them were only supporting them because they felt sorry for them. In fact one girl in the study who was part of the informal group was told by her friend that it’s not her fault that she has cerebral palsy. Thus it is important for there to be as many opportunities for disabled women to compete in organized sport and that we give them the necessary support they may be lacking.
Budget Allocation:
151,350= -11,350 add in fundraisers, +$3950
2950
Shot Puts&Discus both teams
-$1,000
~Max Householder
I really enjoyed this article and like Max mentioned the article really stressed the role of social support from family, friends, and coaches. Anderson (2008) mentioned the importance of social support a lot in the development of self-esteem, identity, and a sense of empowerment. If you think about it social support holds a big role in any organized event, not only in sports but businesses. Without the support of the community a particular event won’t prosper and could eventually cease to exist. What brings in all the revenue for sporting event? Fans, without fans sport franchises wouldn’t have enough money to pay the athletes in most cases. But smaller sports where the athletes aren’t paid, money still needs to be made to pay to run the events such as renting the facilities and officials.
ReplyDelete-Alyssa Robinson
1. I thought this article was interesting. I know sports are becoming more popular for persons with disabilities but I did not think about the lack of opportunities for those in the past and still today. I find it interesting the NCAA does not have involvement in sports for person with disabilities at the college level. As they continue to grow I think the NCAA might step in. This article brought up the point of all the benefits of sports. Organized sports for all can only be beneficial each individual and society.
ReplyDeleteCourtney Cox