Stratification Of Soccer

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Part 1: Description of the soccer social world
Ever since I was a young boy, playing soccer has always been my favourite activity. I have been playing soccer, watching soccer and talking about soccer for nearly every day of my life. The game that started out as a hobby quickly turned into a large part of my world. I realised that I am part of a unique social world with the game of soccer in the heart of it. Soccer is a game where two teams try to kick the ball inside the opponents net. It is difficult to understand why such a simple game brings out so much passion and support. As a member of the soccer subculture, I can label myself as a coach, a player, and sometimes even a fan. As a coach, I work for Ottawa South United, widely seen as the …show more content…

Throughout my soccer experience, there has always been a division and a form of ranking systems. Players within leagues, and teams are ranked, valued and treated differently. On my Carleton University team, I am considered a rookie. An individual can also be classified as a veteran or a ___________. Rookies are people that are playing on the team for their first year, Veterans are playing on the team for fourth or fifth years and ________ are anything in between. Throughout the team, veterans have the most importance and most voice in the team. For example, all rookies, including myself, have to perform ‘rookie duties’. These are duties such as cleaning the change room, or bringing equipment to the field. Rookies also have to share a locker between two players, while veterans get multiple lockers for themselves. Rookies must also pay for a veterans dinner on multiple occasions. Furthermore, rookies get kicked out of the change room if they ‘misbehave’ and are limited to only using one shower - the one that does not function properly. In this system, we see a system of division which puts certain individuals above others. The social Mobility in this system is very limited. Social mobility refers to the ability to change position in social class. If social mobility is limited, it means that changing an individual's social status is difficult and unlikely. On the team, it is impossible for an individual to change his position in social class. Rookies remain rookies, veterans remain veterans. In a different instance, social mobility can also be high on the Carleton University soccer team. This is seen in relation to the value a player has on the team. On every team, some players play the full game on a weekly basis, while other players do not get subbed onto the field. Personally, I sometimes play the full game while other times, I

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