Immigrants And Sports: The Definition Of Social Capital

I still have not found a clear definition for social capital that I feel confident in sharing. To me, it seems that social capital is based off relationships, and can be measured by the amount and by the quality of relationships a person has. If meeting people is the key to expanding social capital, then what could be more vital than athletics? An immigrant, regardless of age, gender, or status, would have the opportunity to meet countless individuals through sports. For instance, let’s say a Chinese immigrant starts playing basketball at the gym with some other men. He begins playing with these men routinely, improves his English, and eventually becomes friends with some of them. All of a sudden, this Chinese immigrant has access to opportunities …show more content…
And, in theory, because of this breakthrough, everyone in the social network benefits. Obviously, this is hardly how the real world works, there are obstacles that play into social relationships, as well as that unfortunately, in some cases, acceptance of immigrants may not extend beyond the playing field. Something I did not consider myself was the value of sport in different cultures. A study conducted by Elizabeth Meador in Boulder, Colorado followed ten Mexican immigrant girls, during which Meador interviewed them and made observations while the girls were at school. There seemed to be a disconnect: despite the school placing an emphasis on athletics, the immigrant girls did not wish to participate in organized sports. They saw athletics as something “American girls” did. It was however noted that, Latino boys usually did participate in team athletics. It seems that different immigrant cultures see sports through different lenses, and opportunities are there for immigrants to participate in athletics, although some are reluctant to be involved. I think these cultural differences are more representative of first generation …show more content…
The nuances of the language are complex, and sometimes it feels like there is a requirement for people in the United States to use English. However, most sports have languages of their own; people can communicate on the court or on the field both verbally and through gestures. Immigrants receive a great deal of exposure to English through team sports, which serves as informal education. Yao Ming, a famous basketball player from China, said in a TMZ interview that “if you’re sitting in an NBA locker room for six months, you learn (English)”. While exposure to English is one of the best ways to learn the language, playing sports offers even a better way to gain language skills, through a process that matches words with actions. In a study done by Beilock and others, three groups of subjects, some who played hockey, some who were fans of hockey, and others who had no experience with hockey, were put through a series of tests. These tests consisted of being told an action, such as “the individual pushed the cart”, followed by the presentation of a picture which either showed an individual pushing a cart, or of an individual performing another action. Participants were then asked if the picture either “yes” matched the description, or if “no” it didn’t. There were two categories of pictures: pictures depicting hockey actions, and pictures depicting non-hockey actions. Results showed that regardless of hockey