A particular physical culture is sport. What can we learn about Australian sport from the players?

Recent AusPlay statistics released by the Australian Sports Commission tell us a lot about sports and physical activities. It is important to be cautious when interpreting the findings. They may refer to organized sports, but they could also describe casual exercises such as walking and swimming.

AusPlay’s national survey of over 20,000 adults (people older than 15 years) and more than 3,500 parents/guardians reported that younger people were more physically active. It is not just because physical education is a part of the school curriculum.

3,2 million children (69%) took part in organized sports or physical activities outside of school.

Comparatively, the percentage of seniors who engage in sports has dropped to 37%.

The survey showed that although sport is often viewed as a male-dominated activity, men and women are equally active at all stages of their lives. It was also surprising to find out that girls aged 9-11 were slightly more involved than males.

Sports clubs and venues also play a significant role in encouraging participation. In this regard, golf and football clubs are the leaders. It is clear, however, that “being active” is an expensive affair: over A$10.7 billion was spent on participation fees during the last year.

The information provided in this article is useful, but it’s limited. This information about the social role of sport, its cultural significance, or the barriers that prevent people from participating in it is not very detailed.

Survey data tables provide some more detailed information. The top reason for participation is “physical fitness or health” for 75.6% of men and 81.4% of women. Men are more likely to participate in sports for fun or enjoyment than women, with 50.3% of them doing so.

The gender differences that were not evident in the overall participation rates started to appear.

In examining barriers to participation, it is shown that social class, education level, and occupation status have a significant impact. Adults are most likely not to be active if they have “not enough free time/too much else on their plate.” It is 56.8% for those aged 35 to 44 when the pressures of work and parenting are at their highest.

Non-participation Demography shows that people are less likely than others to participate in sports and physical activities if they live in remote areas, are unemployed, or have not completed high school. They are also less likely if they are Indigenous, do not speak English at home, and are disabled.

Sports clubs are important in encouraging participation. Shutterstock

Reinforcing social inequalities

Sport is not a magic space that can transcend social inequality. It reproduces and sometimes reinforces social inequalities.

As the French-speaking sociologist Pierre Bourdieu has discussed, the elite sports organizations function as places to exchange “social or culture capital” and exclude those who are not part of the “club”.

In Australia, the ideal of amateurism has long been abandoned. Many people still play sports, but they are in the minority. Most of the most popular sports are heavily commercialized and industrialized. They are also closely linked to gambling, alcohol, and fast food industries, as well as branded merchandise and leisure wear.

My research revealed that while sport is an integral part of Australian culture and a popular pastime for many Australians, it does not live up to its hype. A survey of 1200 people revealed that 61.2% never played any organized sport. In the past year, 55.5% of people watched sports live in a stadium, and 84.9% watched them live on television.

The gender factor was significant. In proportion, men play more than women at all levels of participation, but women (70,7%) pay more than men (51,5%) who never participate in organized sports. Working-class people made up 63.8%, but upper middle-class members only 45.8%.

In a quantitative study carried out in Greater Western Sydney, it was often mentioned that children had difficulty joining sports clubs, either because their families couldn’t afford to pay the registration fee or they could not transport them safely from and to training.

Many young women, particularly those with Middle Eastern or Pacific Island roots, have difficulty participating in sports because of cultural and gendered expectations.

The high registration fees prevent many children from taking part in organized sport. shutterstock

Eradicating barriers

These findings, which are sport-focused, are nuanced and more detailed than AusPlay’s data. It is clear that we have a lot of work to do to eliminate these barriers to sport participation.

If access to sport is accepted as a cultural right, and is heavily subsidised by government and corporations, then it’s time to pay more attention to rights and responsibilities within the sport sector.

In this area, citizenship is about ensuring that sport venues are accessible to all, offer reasonable entry prices and high-quality consumables, and ensure free TV viewing for major national sporting events.

These measures of sport success are far more important than Australian victories at the Olympics, in tennis and in the Ashes.