21st Century Britain (2000-2099)

• social class


  • amateurs & professionals can come from any class as sport is now classless
  • media creates role models for all to aspire towards
• gender

  • gap between elite male & female sports participation is still large
  • large increase in number of female sports presenters/commentators, which encourages more women to take an interest
  • increased media coverage for elite womens sport
  • increase in elite level competitions for women
  • high prize moneys
  • participate in most of the same sports as men
  • more female sporting role models in a wider range of sports
• law & order

  • banning orders were put in place, for example known hooligans were band from stadiums
  • alcohol bans were put in place, for example alcohol sales at stadiums were banned
  • duty of care was put into place, so officials & organisers were legally responsible for player & spectator safety
  • legal action, such as on pitch foul play can be prosecuted in the courts
  • drug laws were put in place, for example the illegality of some PEDs to preserve health
• how law & order affects sport

  • discrimination- racial & gender equality laws have reduced discrimination (e.g golf memberships rules cannot discriminate based on gender)
  • litigation- referees/players/coaches are more likely to be sued (e.g Eva Carneiro suing Jose Mourinho for sexual discrimination)
  • criminal- increased criminal prosecution against sports people for violent conduct on the field (e.g Duncan Ferguson jailed for on-field assault)
• education

  • PE is now compulsory as it is part of the National Curriculum
  • lunch time & after school clubs give wider opportunities for students
  • teams & inter-school fixtures give more opportunities for students to participate competitively
  • PE lessons provide students with a wide variety of sports & activities
• time & money

  • more people can find time for sport/leisure due to flexible working hours & for some increased wealth
  • gym memberships are more affordable = increased number of members
  • availability of time due to technological advances (cars, trains, planes)
  • still a significant financial pressure on parts of the population
• transport

  • greatly improved, with most households owning at least one car
  • participants/spectators are more likely to travel by car, bus or train to engage in sport
  • cheap flights have also contributed to more travel abroad for international fixtures
• freedom of movement

  • allows athletes to compete for different countries
  • brings people from different cultures into the same teams, making them more diverse
  • can increase the potential fan-base of successful sports/club performers as they are know internationally
• globalisation of sport


  • international sport is a big business with massive investment as well as countries & international companies reputations
  • some organisations have had their reputations tarnished due to corruption & cheating, such as FIFA & IOC
  • laws exist that means players have the freedom to change their nationalities to compete for a different country
• reasons for globalisation of players

  • better, faster, affordable transport
  • improved technology
  • media raises awareness for potential elite performers
  • global tours & competitions
  • financial incentives for clubs & players
• influence of the internet

  • increased media coverage has led to less spectators at actual games
  • more sports available to live stream, such as Olympics on BBC
  • can watch on demand at any time
  • can watch some live sports for free
  • people can just watch match highlights to see key parts of the game
• use of media as a commodity

  • breaks in play are sold for advertisement
  • media companies pay the sport for the right to televise
  • pay per view sell sport to viewers
  • sport can be sold to other companies so they can show it on their networks