Other Free Encyclopedias :: Social Issues Reference :: Social Trends in America - Vol 1

People and Sports - What Are The Fastest Growing Sports?, Popular Sports For Teenagers, Part Of The Team: Organized Sports And Young People

Sports is certainly one of the leading leisure activities. In this chapter, we look at amateur and professional sports and examine some of the trends that shape the world of sports.

The first panel presents a look at the fastest growing fitness activities over recent years. Some sports, of course, will always be popular. But have new ones captured our imagination? What does this say about us?

In the next few panels we look at teenagers and sports. What fitness activities are they pursuing? We'll examine the curious trends surrounding their activities: they have basically invented the entire "extreme sports" phenomenon, but they have turned away from some traditional sports, such as baseball. They have also turned away from "physical" sports. Are children getting enough exercise?

After high school sports, the next panel is about college sports. We examine the differences in male and female athletic programs and briefly analyze the sports women have pursued in recent years.

The final panels in the chapter are devoted to professional sports, and examine attendance figures, television viewing, and ticket costs. Are we watching as much sports as we used to? Is the rising cost of tickets keeping some fans out of the stadium?

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